Different Pasts, Same Story

Wednesday Afternoon

Robin had recently, since the affair of saving the Doom Patrol, discovered that he really didn't like seeing someone just throw his friends under the bus when they'd served their purpose. Call him protective, he usually let his teammates handle themselves, but it was a little different this time; maybe it was that their youngest teammate was always getting himself into things he couldn't get out of (both figuratively and literally), or maybe it was that he was Impulsive and easy to trick, or maybe it was just hard to watch how loyal he was in the face of constant disrespect. It reminded Robin a bit of himself when he was younger.

Perhaps because of this he found himself brooding more than normal in the week following the mission.

So he was spending today, like the past few days, sulking in his dimly lit room.

That mission had hit a little close to home. Try as he might there was no stopping himself from seeing Batman in Mento; the cold distanced and professional persona, the willingness to stop at nothing...

The door opened a crack, splashing light across the floor. He turned his head but saw no one standing there. His eyes lowered to where a mossy green cat sat in the doorway. He watched as it padded into his room and jumped up beside him on the edge of the bed.

Beastboy's 'soft spots' usually depended on what creature we was at the time, but there were a few usual suspects; scratching between the shoulder blades, behind the ears, and petting the top his head were all usually good ways to loosen him up.

Dick pushed the cat's ears back, forcing a small squeak of a mew out of it. Instantly the creature settled on his lap. "So, why are you here?"

"nmmrow?" A little cold nose pressed into his arm.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" He asked, scratching the kitty's chin. "Is that it?"

"mmreow?"

"Well why are you here?" Beastboy was silent aside from a quiet purr. "Come one, why are you my room?" Robin fell on his next plan, flipping the kitten over and tickling its soft belly.

Almost immediately Garfield began to unshift, giggling maniacally as he gripped his stomach. "DUDE!"

"What are you doing on my lap, man?" Dick asked again.

"You were shut away in your room, and... uh... I drew the short straw."

"No, this is wrong," he said, shoving the boy off his lap. "I should be the one checking on you."

"Yeah, but I'm not the one hiding in his room and texting Raven to leave food outside his door so he doesn't have to leave," Beastboy argued, laying on the floor. "Seriously, it hasn't been this bad since..."

"It's not as bad as Slade," Robin said quickly. "I've just got my own stuff going on, no point in bothering you guys with it."

"Dude, now you're starting to sound like Raven." He sprung back up onto the bed. "So, what's wrong? Tell me!"

He sighed. There was probably no avoiding this one, now that they were in connection with his the Doom Patrol he was bound to run into them again, and then what?

"It's because of when we were stopping the brotherhood of evil..."

"AUGH! Is this cause'a something Steve said?!" his friend demanded. "No way! Him talking to us like that is one thing, but you guys--"

"No he's not-- well-- kind of," the older boy admitted, "Mento reminds me a lot of Batman."

Instantly he knew he should've kept that one private, as Beastboy's eyes went wide like saucers.

"Really?"

"A bit..." Dick let himself fall backwards onto his bed. Garfield did the same. "He holds you to such an impossible standard-- like you're just an extension of him, it's..." He let out a strained breath. "It took me back to Gotham."

"Like, how?"

"Batman wasn't always like that, but in the last year before I left... I didn't get a lot of time to rest."

"Yeah dude, I hear that. You know what I got for my tenth birthday?"

"What?"

"A six-hour stakeout."

He chuckled a little. "I got a concussion for my fourteenth."

They lay there for several seconds.

"You're not gonna become like that, right?"

"Like what?"

"Like Batman and Mento."

Dick shook his head, "I hope not."

"I hope not too."

They lay there a little longer.

"Are you okay after all that? Seeing the Doom Patrol again?" Robin asked, a little uncomortable bringing it back up.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Beastboy was uncharacteristically quiet for a moment. "I was actually starting to miss them, and now I remember why I shouldn't."

He laughed a little at that. "They weren't too tough on you?"

"Nah, man, I've been through worse," he said, "they went easy on me in front of you guys."

"Wow, what are they like normally?"

"Less chatty."

The weight on the bed beside him shifted, and at first he thought his friend must have gotten up.

Then there was a wet nose snuffling in his face and two heavy paws on his chest. A rough, drool-covered tongue lapped at his cheek. Robin coughed, rolling over and throwing the huge dog off him. He sat up just in time to see it galloping out the door.

"Hey!" He took off after the dog, blinking as he stepped out into the light of the hallway, and began chasing the wagging tail through to the living room. "What was that for?!"

Gar ran up to Kori and jumped in her lap, tail pumping gleefully and tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

"Robin!"

"He actually did it," Cyborg said in surprise, "he actually got Robin out of his room!"

"Did you doubt me for a second?" Beastboy asked, shifting back but not getting out of Starfire's lap. "I'm telling you: me and Rob? Two sides of one coin!"

"In your dreams." Raven replied, not looking up.

"Robin! You can join us for lunch!"

Dick wiped the slobber off his cheek. "Actually, I was just gonna--"

"Please?"

Great, now Starfire was making the face at him, the one which looked so meek and hurt it made you agree to anything. Add on top Beastboy's puppy eyes and there was no was he was escaping this one.

"Fine, let's order in."