The Tower feels cold at night. Even colder when the weight of a mask still lingers long after it's off.
Robin stood at the edge of the hallway, where the light didn’t reach. Shadows clung to the walls—good. He didn’t want to be seen right now.
They were there again. He could hear their footsteps—soft, measured, familiar in a way that made something tighten in his chest. That rhythm hadn’t changed. Not when they fought beside him, not when they left. Not even after he—
They paused. No words. Of course not.
Good. Or maybe he deserved worse than silence.
“I didn’t plan for it to happen like that,” he said low, his voice barely above the hum of the tower’s systems. “Red X… it was supposed to be a means to an end. A way to learn how criminals think. Outsmart Slade. Gain the edge I couldn’t as Robin.”
He stepped closer. Not into the light. Not where they could look at him with those eyes. Not yet.
“But then you… you got close. To him. To me. And I didn’t stop it.”
Didn’t stop the way their guard dropped around Red X. How they'd smirk when he teased, how their fingers brushed too long when handing off tech or stolen plans. How they kissed him.
How he kissed them back.
“I should’ve told you the truth that night. Should’ve pulled the mask off. Should’ve said it was me.”
Another step. Still in the dark. It suited him now.
“But I didn’t. Because I wanted something selfish. I wanted to be someone else around you. Not the leader. Not the one who couldn’t mess up. Just someone you looked at without seeing disappointment.”
He laughed—quiet, bitter.
“It’s messed up, right? The way I hurt you. Twice. Lied to your face and kissed you through it.”
Their silhouette hadn’t moved. Maybe if they punched him, he’d feel better. He wouldn’t block it. Not this time.
“I thought about saying something after. When it all came out. When you looked at me like—like I wasn’t even the same person anymore.”
He swallowed. That look haunted him more than anything Slade ever did.
“But what would I even say? ‘Sorry I wore another face to get close to you’? ‘Sorry I made you fall for someone who never existed’? That I still think about you every time I hear that name?”
His fists clenched at his sides.
“I see the way the others laugh with you now. Like nothing happened. Like you’re back. But it’s not the same with me. I don’t get that chance.”
He stepped into the light then. Finally. Let them see it—what was left.
“I don’t expect forgiveness. I wouldn’t even ask. But I want you to know… Red X was the lie. This—me—this is the part that meant it.”
He looked at them fully now. No mask. No armor. Just the boy who broke them twice.
“…and I’ve never stopped regretting it.”