Robin is losing his mind, and Red X isn't helping. Maybe they're just too alike, birds of a feather they say.
This feeling never leaves you alone,
you pull the trigger on your own.
Another long night, another unsuccessful heist, Red X was starting to believe that the Teen Titans were more trouble to him than worth.
The young thief sat down on the worn couch in his musty old hotel room, and with an exasperated sigh he knew he was sorely out of pocket, the Xenothium in his suit decaying quicker than he could get the money to replace it. He was getting desperate; at this rate he was ready to start stealing candy from babies.
Or maybe something similar.
He hoisted himself off the seat, pushing through the front door he never usually left through when suited up. He took the stairs two at a time, swiftly sliding into the rundown lobby where a lone attendant sat. The young brunette sat idly, not noticing the other occupant in the room until he moved up to stand in front of her. When she finally lifted her eyes from her magazine she quirked an eyebrow at the teen, leaving Red X to stare with a deadpan expression before raising his brow in a similar manner.
"Oh come on, don't look at me like that. Do you know what kind of night I've had?!" He growled and waved his hands. "I'm down on my luck, like, SERIOUSLY down. So if you don't mind sweetie, hand over all the cash you have right there and I promise not to mess with your pretty face and nails."
The girl's expression didn't change as her hand calmly moved to the other side of the table. Her manicured nails tapped at the security button, immediately sending a call to the police. X had stood motionlessly as she did so. He then began to laugh, and laugh, and laugh. He laughed until the police came, and dragged his shaking body away.
You're hiding in your safe place,
Hiding with your eyes shut tightly all the way to the hospital.
"Guys, is this really necessary? I mean really?"
The Titans leader sat firmly wedged between Raven and beast Boy, neither of whom wanted to make eye contact. Starfire sat in the passenger's seat, looking sadly out the window, while Cyborg drove the T-Car down the long stretch of road.
"Look man it's for your own good. We've all had a long talk and we've all agreed to this." Cy gave a sad smile while looking at his friend through the rear vision mirror.
Over the past month each of the Titans had noticed their leader becoming more and more unpredictable. The amount of times that he would lash out angrily had grown, and his fighting had grown wild, unpredictable and excessive in violence. After coming together the four titans agreed that Robin should seek help. Cyborg and Raven had found a place on the outskirts of Jump offering high standards of care with expert physiatrists, and together they had all tricked the Boy Wonder into the car, ready to give him a week away from the crime fighting world.
"But I'm perfectly fine!"
Now will you ever rest your head?
You end up feeling mostly dead.
"Oh yes, wonderful." Red X wasn't exactly sure of his location, but by the sound (and smell) of things he was in a crazy house; full of crazies. And now he was one of them. He suddenly wanted to laugh again, but that would just confirm his place of situation. So instead he studied the tiled halls he was pushed along, strapped to a chair with thick leather bounds. He was being taken to a holding cell he assumed. They had only removed his utility belt so far but honestly he wasn't in the mood to fight back; they'd probably feed him better here anyway.
The tiles continued along the wall into the cell. As the bars closed shut two armoured guards walked up to him, one releasing the bounds and the other removing his gloves, boots and lastly (he could feel the guards joy) his mask. He stared at them blankly as they left the cell.
Yes how big they must feel for unmasking a mad thief. He was sure the sight of his messy black hair and plain blue eyes must make their blood run with fear. Ha.
He rubbed at his wrists, standing from the hard backed chair, and took note of hi room. A bed ran along the wall to his left, at its foot a pair of grey pants, a white shirt and some socks. In the right hand corner was a wall mounted toilet and sink, both with rounded edges. Everything was either an off white or grey.
"How very original." He chuckled to himself as he lay down on the bed, not bothering to change. What was the point? If he was going to say, he wanted to say as himself.
Pretending you're the last one,
Hiding with your eyes shut tight on the way to the hospital.
He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. The plain walls, the strict routine, the constant "How are you feeling today?", if he wasn't mad already he was sure all this would drive him to insanity.
Starfire had held onto his arm tightly as his stay at the facility was confirmed. She was still refusing to meet his eyes, but as the other Titans left he swore he could see tears in her eyes. He was made to give up his utility belt, gloves, boots and (after much protest, and a bit of kicking about) his mask. Even when a young blond nurse reassured him everything was confidential and he would get his stuff back at the end of his stay, he wasn't going to pretend to be happy about the position he was in.
They'd given him a plush cream room that overlooked the never ending lawn, and a standard grey and white outfit that just added to the bleak world he had entered. He didn't want to be there. No matter how many times they asked, no matter how many times they questioned he was not going to just give in to everyone claims he was unstable. He just needed to leave this place, go very far away from it, get back to his work…Damn! He just needed to punch something!
He curled up on his overly plush bed; sure he could suffocate himself in it if he tried. After clawing at the pillow he stared at his bare hands, before poking at his uncovered eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so exposed, so open to judgment.
"Just one week. I can last it. Just one week." He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.
Before I cross my heart and hope to die at all,
Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars.
After a day of simple psych tests he had been classified a 'Low Risk' subject and shoved in a room with unstable lowlife criminals, most likely caught pushing over the elderly or stealing make-up. The only reason most of them were probably there was because their parents had begged to police to take their 'precious angels' to be checked out. Shit, he wanted to laugh again.
Gender segregated by nothing but a simple line on the floor the room held eight bunk beds, totalling thirteen young, miserable looking wastes of air, none of whom had paid any attention to his entry. It was rather depressing being sent back to the status of nobody by just removing a mask, and it wasn't like people would believe him if he walked around saying "Hey guys! Did you know I'm Red X? True story." So he kept his head down like the rest of them and took upper bunk-bed at the back of the room, a high perch favoured due to its similarities to the roof tops he often roamed, with a perfect vantage point to keep watch of everyone. He stayed in that spot quite placidly, until a nurse came in and started rounding them up into groups.
He had been watching a black haired girl (or was it a guy? Red wasn't about to go ask) take out every insult in the book on a rather snotty looking blond boy when the nurse approached his bed. He gave her a warning glare, but she remained blissfully ignorant as she chimed out the same instruction she had given to the others.
"Time for group talk! Please go find your name on the wall, then stand with the rest of the group. You will be led to your allocated rooms thereafter."
Without a second wasted she moved on to the next set of beds, and all Red could think of was; "Should have seen this coming."
xXxXxXx
Robin impatiently tapped his foot, his arms firmly folded across his chest to ward off anyone who would even think of talking to him. He hadn't wanted to do this, but it was plain to see that any disagreement would simply land him more time in this place.
Seated in a circle, flanked by a number of other patients of the same age group he counted the seconds on the clock. 5…4…3…2…1…exactly half an hour to go.
He turned to glare at the door as it carefully clicked open, allowing a number of teens to filter in and fill the remaining chairs. He tried to look as uninviting as possible, but that didn't stop a boy of similar stature to him from relaxing in the wooden chair to his right. The two sized each other up before locking both sets of their blue eyes. Robin could have sworn he was looking in a mirror; the only real difference was a barely noticeable light patch of hair on the others fringe, and the self-absorbed grin they smugly wore. Snarling he quickly turned away, resuming his clock watch. Finally the head nurse spoke up.
"Alright, since this our first time all together why don't we go around the circle and say our names and something we like." She gestured to her left, "how about you go first?"
The blond boy she eyed looked very nervous as he looked around the group.
"I'm Nathaniel Edwards. I like uh…word games."
His eyes went back to the ground as the nurse clapped. "Very good! Next?"
A black haired girl spoke up with a bored tone. "I'm Mel Sireno. I like cheese." She looked towards Robin's doppelgänger, who chuckled as he shifted in his seat.
"Heh, oh my I seem to have forgotten my name. You know what you guys can just call me Red. As for what I like, I'd have to say hot babes." He smiled on that last note.
The boy wonder's eyes widened as he put two and two together. Of course Red X would have to be of similar build with the suit designed directly from Robin's person use, and after turning up his glare a few notches he wondered if that was how he'd stolen the villainous identity, by simply pretending to be him to get into the tower.
Red didn't stop smiling at him, and finally Robin realised everyone was looking at him expectantly.
"Ugh, I'm…" Now he was caught in the headlights. Reveal Robin and let a bunch of strangers (and Red X) know the heroes true face and the fact he was in a mental hospital, or reveal teen Grayson and let a bunch of strangers (and the still smiling Red) know that billionaire Wayne's ward had apparently snapped. He wouldn't let the thief hold it against him when he got out.
"I'm Dick and I like… god this is dumb…I don't know. Motorcycles?" His head snapped to the right as Red snickered at him, and without the nurse speaking up he would have most likely used his fist to remove the others smile.
"Now now, we will all respect each other here. Next please?"
The rest of the circle went about stating their names, the reluctant mumbles taking the time down to only 20 minutes left. The nurse seemed pleased with everyone, and moved on the next part.
"Okay, now that we know each-others name, let's go a bit further. Since you seem the chattiest of the group, why don't you tell us about why you are here Red?" She pulled the most reassuring smile she could.
And right on queue Red X smiled back. "Of course Miss."
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
With pursed lips Red knew the sad little crowd was putty in his hands. Amongst strangers he could be anyone who could have done anything, but in the end holding a lie was just too much effort, and life as Red X was the most interesting one he could think of. He could see his look-a-like had taken interest in hearing him speak, so why not just tell his pathetic story.
"You see, I was down on my luck. I had been trying to steal something because well, that's my job, but then that pesky hero team showed up and took me down." He remember it well, how even after scaring him away from his heist the teams leader had pursued him across the roofs, landing a number of unnecessary and brut attacks. For some reason the teen next to him had gained a dark grin, probably relishing the thought of him being taken down.
"So I make my way home and think to myself 'I need some quick easy cash for dinner' so I head down stairs and ask this cute girl for some cash. Bitch calls the cops on me, and they drag my ass here after I start laughing at them. The end."
He nodded, satisfied at his tale. 'Story of my life it seems.' Now it was his doppelgängers turn to snicker. He had completion it seemed.
One by one the nurse picked out patients to speak, each telling similar stories of petty crimes or misbehaviour at school. Though when it came to the boy to his left silence reigned. Finally when their time was up they were ushered from the room, the criminal group taken by guards back to their room, and the rest following the nurse down another hall. Red turned his head to watch his look-a-like leave, and the two shared smiles of content and distaste.