Of course Robin could tell. Robin had known him longer than anybody in the world; Robin could read his damn face like a book. He recognised the tensing of Will's shoulders, as though he was readying himself for a head-on collision. He recognised the stilted manner, could tell each hesitation and pause held words unspoken.
Hell. He didn't want to lie to Robin. They were brothers, and Will knew Rob's mind as well as Rob knew his; there was no question Rob would have his back, same as Tuck did. How could he even think otherwise?
But that animal fear was a powerful thing, and it stilled his tongue, just as it had on the day Robin had rescued him from Gisborne's torture.
His gaze skittered away. "I was in a bad way, Rob. That's all. It's... listen, there's no point raking over old coals, it's done. Important thing is we can't let nobody else fall through the cracks, yeah?"