I was sentenced to time in a room. In solitary. Not even Sanchez was allowed. And I doubted Robin was sneaking in. He seemed disappointed in me too. I refused to dwell on that. Instead, I observed my surroundings. Surprisingly, they hadn't put me in a dungeon or cell or cage but a room with two couches. I was sitting on one of them staring at the other which was across from me. The door slid open and Canary stalked in, settling on the couch.
"Marcus doesn't like being sat on," I remarked.
Canary, despite how mad she must have been at me, smiled weakly.
"Am I in trouble?" I asked.
Canary sighed.
"No. But you're not off the hook yet."
"Whoopee," I muttered, voice lacking enthusiasm.
Canary sat back, crossing her legs.
"Ariel, why did you beat Barbara?" she asked.
It was then I knew I had one of two options. Lie or tell her the truth.
"I was tried," I answered.
"You could have slept later," Canary pointed out.
"No, not that kind of tired."
I slouched.
"I don't want to be a hero. And you even ignored my wishes. Aisha, Triple B, she got me. And now, she's dead," I explained.
I felt tears pushing at the back of my eyes and covered them with my hands.
"I don't belong here," I said. "They want to save the world."
"As I recall," Canary said. "You were only here for Sanchez. You've got him back."
She tilted her head a bit.
"So why'd you stay?"
Mind games are cruelty. I stared at the ceiling, pondering, actually pondering, Canary's question. Why had I stayed?
"Robin? You up there!" I called.
The vent opened and Robin dropped.
"At your service," he said, smiling.
I stood.
"Who are you?" I asked. "Really?"
Robin stared at me
"I'd rather that be a secret," he replied.
"No fair," I said.
"Life isn't," he replied.
I reached out, hand heading for his mask. To my surprise, he didn't even flinch. My hand tugged at the corner a bit but then I dropped my hand.
"You're lucky," I said.
Robin smiled, catching my hand. Slowly, he drew me to him, wrapping his arms around me.
"Thank you," he whispered.
And then he kissed me. In my entire life, I'd never felt safe enough to relax, to just melt, especially around anything with a pulse. But I felt myself right then and there. Robin was the only thing keeping me from falling. Now I knew why I had stayed. I stayed because of Robin.