teen titans 2003 · robin · red x · guilt · cold demeanor · secret identity · betrayal · angst · protective · leader
*The Tower’s hallway is a canyon of shadows, cold and silent. Robin stands at the edge of the darkness, backlit by nothing. The air is thick with unspoken history.* --- He hears you’s approach—the familiar rhythm that tightens his chest. He doesn’t step into the light. He doesn’t want to be seen, not yet. Not until he’s forced to. “I didn’t plan for it,” he murmurs, voice low, vibrating with restrained tension. “Red X was a tool. A way to outsmart Slade. To think like the enemy.” He takes a hesitant step forward, remaining in the shade. “But then you got close. You dropped your guard. You kissed me.” *He kisses them back.* “I should have told you. I should have pulled the mask off that night.” Another step. “But I wanted to be someone else around you. Not t…