Let's get right into this, ladies and gentlemen and other beings of Earth.

"Try anything funny, demon, and I'll forcefully exorcise you."

Raven tensed under her cloak. Zatanna had somehow followed her out the room after Robin's exit, and decided now was the time to officially confront Raven.

"Excuse me?" Raven's bland tone must have struck a cord with the younger magician, because in a puff of smoke she was inches away.

"I said," she jabbed a finger right onto the cloaks red, shining clasp. "No funny business."

"I don't intend to do any 'funny business'" Zatanna huffed at Raven's response, leaning back with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

Raven stared back impassively, hoping beyond hope that the magician currently chewing her lip couldn't see how terrified she was on the inside.

Zatanna was the worst possible person to find out Ravens demonic lineage. With any of the others (excluding Aqualad-Raven didn't quite know where his knowledge of the mystical arts ended), at least she could explain exactly who-or more accurately what-she was.

Now Raven has to deal with a biased and bigoted magician who also has a very powerful and biased magician for a father.

"I bet no one else knows, do they?" Zatanna proded with a twisted smirk. "How do you think they'll react when I tell them just what you really are?"

A new thrill of fear shot through Raven. "That's-that's not necessary." she stammered, hopes for a quiet resolution to the mess Raven put herself in going down the drain.

Evidently, Zatanna picked up on Ravens desperation. "I'll tell you what," she began, hands going to her hips, that cruel smile never leaving her cherry red lips. "I won't tell anyone, but there's one condition." The magician leans in even closer, and now Raven can see the villainous gleam in her eyes. "Stay away from Robin."

Raven instantly went on the defense. "He's my friend, I'm not going to stop talking to him."

"Well, I guess he'll just have to stop talking to you once I tell him how a monster has been a part of his team since the beginning. I doubt the rest of your team-or my father-will be very pleased, either."

Raven didn't respond, trying her best not to lunge at Zatanna.

"But," the magician continued, "if you stay away from Robin, we can pretend that you aren't the scum of the afterlife, and no one else will ever know." With this she turns on her heel, shoes clicking all the way to the end of the hall where she stops and looks back at the still and silent Raven. Her cruel smirk widens even more.

"Really, it's your choice what you choose to do, Raven."

OoOoOoO

Nothing in the room was left untouched from Robins rage. Every breakable thing was shattered. Every piece of paper ripped to shreds. Even the walls had littered dents from where he lashed out in sweeping kicks.

Robin knew he was being irrational. He was having a tantrum, and he was fully aware that his anger was boiling over in destructive ways, but that didn't mean it didn't feel good.

He managed to find a small, oval-shaped room that looked as though it was once used for meetings. There were maps on the wall and old papers had still littered the circular wooden table in the center of the room. It had seemed like the perfect place to vent his rage, frustrations, and exhaustion with the entire situation.

Really, he knew that it would come to pass at some point. There was no way that Batman just let Robin fall off the radar for that long, even when he started the Titans.

But why did the man have to bring it up after such a catastrophe of a mission? When Robin was already at the very end of his rope? He felt as though he might break down just thinking about it. The only thing that was keeping him from collapsing in a heap of exhaustion and tears was the wooden chair he was currently kicking to pieces.

It was the only one left in the room that he hadn't thrown or punched, and with each kick the pieced became smaller and smaller until he was stomping pathetically at a pile of wooden shards.

Robin heard his own heavy breathing, and he could feel his entire body shaking. He was still itching for something to destroy, something to keep up his anger until he could forget today ever happened. That's all that he wanted.

He wanted to forget about the failed mission. Forget Slade's offer. Forget knowing Batman found out about it. Forget the Titans' betrayal. Forget that look on Wally's face.

A growl erupted unbiden from his throat. Picking up one of the wooden shards under his boot, Robin spun and hurled it at the wall behind him.

His breath caught when he registered Batman standing in the way of the projectile. The man simply stepped to the side, watching the wood bounce off of the wall and onto the floor.

"You're letting your anger get the better of you." Batman said, looking back up at Robin, who was standing stock still in front of him.

There was a few moments of silence, where Robin's mind took to catch up with what was happening. And then he let the anger wash over him again, cause now he definitely didn't want to break down.

"Yeah, wonder who I learned that from." Robin snarked, his cape covering his body and eyes narrowed at the man who stood in the shadows.

There was a sharp inhale from Batman. The man's posture straighted, and a deep frown marred his face. "I taught you how to control your emotions, this is not-"

"Didn't you know kids learn best from example?" at Batman's blank expression, Robin scoffed. "You really thought I couldn't hear you when you trashed the cave because you couldn't find the Joker? Or how about when the Penguin was helping sell those lethal drugs to teenagers? Oh, can't forget about that one time the Riddler almost blew up that orphanage and you couldn't catch him."

Now it was Batman's turn to growl. "I specifically trained you so you wouldn't have my faults."

"Yeah, and then you decided I just wasn't worth the trouble." Robin ground out, never breaking eye contact. Batman didn't give a visible reaction, but something in his face turned resolute.

"My decision was for the best of both you and me. You were getting reckless and I didn't trust myself to continue our occupation if..."

"Say it." Robin rasped. "Say it, and confirm that you didn't take any of my feelings into account when you tried to take away a part of me."

There was silence. Robin's fists were shaking behind his cape, whether from anger or the effort of keeping himself in relative control was debatable.

"I stand by my decision." Batman finally ground out. "But this conversation is not why I followed you here."

More silence as Robin fought not to show his true colours. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and snapped his eyes open to glare at Batman.

"You seem to know what happened, so what is there to talk about?"

"I want to hear what happened from your account. All I know is what I could see from the security cameras in my building and the one adjacent to it."

Robin could feel his stomach revolting once again as he thought about everything that happened. Moments came in flashes. First putting on that dreadful uniform. Slade eyeing him like he was the prized piece of cattle at an auction. Fighting his friends to make sure they survived. Slade's training...

The teen felt as though a white hot iron was being pushed into his chest. He hated thinking about it. The entire apprenticeship was a trip into Hell. He just wanted to let it go.

But no one would let him forget. Not his team, not Young Justice, not Batman, and especially not Slade.

"It doesn't matter now, anyway. It's over. It's in the past." Robin whispered, trying to keep the contents of his stomach from making an unwanted appearance.

Batman started walking towards him, but stopped when Robin took a step away from him.

"Robin," Batman paused, looking to be having a war with himself in his head, before he continued, "what happened then could have consequences with what is happening now and is most likely affecting the mission-"

Robin stopped listening after hearing the word 'mission'. His previous train of thought came to a screeching halt. He felt his lips turn up into a rueful smile.

Of course. The slimmer of hope that maybe Batman would, for once, try to comfort him vanished. Robin should have known that Batman only tried to get closer to him so he felt intimidated, not to try and bring solace.

He was a fool to expect anything else. It was always the mission. Always. The mission came first before anything else, even your friends. Even your family. Yet another lesson that Batman ingrained in his impressionable young mind, and that Robin had been trying desperately to forget.

"Are you listening to me?" he heard Batman snarl. Robin could only snicker.

"No. Did you really expect me to? You're not my mentor anymore, Batman, I have no reason to actually listen to you."

"Would you rather listen to Deathstroke?" Robin slammed his eyes closed at those words. He felt his pulse quicken, thrumming in his ears even more persistently as he tried to keep the horrible memories at bay.

In Robin's raging silence, Batman continued. "I need the full story, Robin. No lies."

"You want to know the whole story?" Robin said, tone flat and face blank, eyes still screwed shut. "I wasn't good enough. Slade…he hurt my team-my friends-and I wasn't good enough to stop him. So he took what he wanted, with the threat of their deaths, and…I became his apprentice." he felt tears prickling at the sides of his eyes, but he continued in an even more hushed voice. "I was…afraid. And the things he did…that he taught me how to do…I can't ever forget them."

Tears were now running freely down the teens face. Robin had yet to pry his eyes open, too deflated to see the disappointment that would no doubt be on Batmans face.

"I'm…sorry, Richard."

Robin's breath caught, his tears stopping. This marked the first time that he could remember that Batman actually sounded like he cared. A hysterical laugh bubbled out of his chest, and he finally opened his eyes to stare into the softened face of Bruce Wayne.

It always struck Robin how eerily similar they looked. Same dark, almost black hair, same nose, and Bruce's eyes were only a slight shade darker than Robin's own. In the beginning, it was flattering that so many people thought that Richard Grayson was the biological son of Bruce Wayne.

But now, as Robin looked into the eyes of Bruce for the first time in almost three years, Robin could see more than just the physical similarities.

Robin was almost an exact carbon copy of the Dark Knight, both while donning the cape and not. He never wanted to become that, it was his worst fear that he would end up exactly like Bruce, or, even worse, be forced to take up the mantle of Batman after his inevitable passing.

Yet despite all of that, Robin still ended up just like Bruce.

Robin sighed and brushed past Bruce, making his way towards the door. He was exhausted from his tantrum, and he could feel even more tears on the verge of escaping.

"Richard-" Bruce tried, reaching out as if to clasp Robin's shoulder. The teen easily dodged, only turning his head enough to see the man's face.

"No, Bruce. Sorry-sorry isn't good enough." Robin briskly slunk his way to the door, leaving Bruce to stew in the destruction and lingering emotions left in the empty conference room.

The teen felt the brush of air as the door closed behind him. He sniffed, despretely wiping at the tear tracks on his face, hoping that he didn't run into anyone on his trip to his room.

He needed to clear his head, and the only way that would happen would be with copious amounts of sleep.

Oof. I was originally going to have a HUGE screaming match between Batman and Robin, but…this draft turned out way more emotional than that other one.

Lots more to come. After all, Robin only has 2 weeks to make his decision ;)

~Atatami