It never used to hurt before, it isn't funny anymore.
Feeling so alone now funny how you wish some way that you could die at the hospital.

Robin clicked his tongue at his art work in the dirt, deformed scribbles of various villains he had faced; cinderblock, control freak, Johnny Rancid, Slade, Red X. Discarding the stick he brought his fist back and slammed it into the loose soil, before kicking wildly at the remaining lines. He wasn't overly sure of what he was doing, but with the amount of frustration he had built up over the past few days made him feel like a time bomb. The white building looming behind him didn't help. At all.

He'd been lounging on the green lawn that he usually watched from his cell of a bedroom. Luckily no one else was about, giving him a much needed escape from the limited world as he stared at the clouded blue sky.

'Maybe it'll rain later. Weather feels too cheery for my mood right now.' He sighed, trying to think of something else to do to vent the build-up in his chest.

The answer came quicker that he'd expected, when he spotted a guard leading the criminal group to the lawn. Amongst them he saw his target, the black haired thief laughing at a blond boy being harassed. He waited on his patch, trying not to be obvious in his staring as he waited for him to come closer. He may have come out of their last fight relatively unscathed, but not this time. The other titans weren't there to hold him back. The villain would get what he deserved.

xXxXxXxXxX

Red was almost about to admit to enjoying his stay. Food was fine, beds were fairly comfy, entertainment was plenty, what more could he ask for? Of course the true answer was mingling at the back of his mind; the thrill of the chase. He knew fleeing the law and fighting the titans was all like a big game to him, a constant challenge of cat and mouse. There was no chance for that locked away in the facility.

After a number of days they had been given permission to go outside for exactly one hour, something like a weekly dose of sunlight, but Red could tell the clouds were rolling in fast. He'd been staring at a wall to long, and he wasn't about to do the same to the sky, so once the group had stopped moving he scanned the lush lawn for some entertainment. He couldn't help but cast a wicked smile as he spotted his fun mere metres away, his look-a-like glancing ever so slightly at the group.

He walked off without a second thought, walking over until he was practically leaning over the other teen. From underneath the shadow the two eyes met, and Red X calmly greeted him.

"Hello Dickey, nice weather we're having."

He didn't have time to react as the others fist rose up to collide with his chin, sending him stumbling back. With the both of them on their feet the attack continued, Red having to quickly summon parries for each of the well trained hits aimed at his face. Clearly surprised at the ferocity of the unprovoked attack he stayed on the defensive, until jumping back forced his doppelgänger to charge forward. In the instant the others hair was swept back in a trademark style realisation dawned on Red, and his smile returned.

"Whoa wait! Bird Boy?! Jeeze I didn't think you were so keen as to follow me into this place."

He felt a bit more confident knowing who he was fighting, but the Boy Wonders attacks carried brute strength and little control from the martial artist.

"Or maybe they just thought you were as bad as me!" He went to laugh, but he didn't know that comparing him to villains really pushed him over the edge. A powerful kick landed in Red X's gut, causing him to double over and give an opening for another blow, a fist to the top of his head leaving him seeing stars. He dropped to his knees and rolled to the side to avoid another kick, and positioning himself on all fours he spear tackled the Titan. The two hit the ground, now with the literal upper hand Red brought his own fist down upon Robin. It connected, but not before an opposing fist preformed the same.

Rolling about on the grass, there was no skill involved in the fight, a test of endurance as blow after blow landed. The clouds had gathered and rain had started to fall on the two bloodied boys before the hospital guards managed to separate the two, dragging them screaming away in opposite directions.

You're quiet on the car ride home,
you're waiting for your head to explode.

The blood dripped from his brow, slipping to the corner of his mouth as he panted. He wasn't done with him, not in the least, but the guards had quickly bound him and dragged him away. Robin didn't care what they did with him, as long as he eventually got another shot at that smug bastard. Taking his smile off was the most enjoyable thing he had done all week, but as his mind settled something else dawned on him. He figured out who I was. Great, now the thief not only knew his secret identity, but also the fact he was in the god forsaken facility on his own steam.

They'd taken him to a cell and strapped him down on a stiff bed, moving about with bandages and disinfectant. Arching his back he tested the strength of the restraints, before tugging at his arms and legs, whipping his head back and forth in an attempt to break free. Surely Red was still nearby; surely he could still leave him with a few more wounds. He struggled harder, with the strain causing him to growl in frustration. A pick on his arm snapped his head to attention, just to see a needle being pulled away, and leaving his eyes to become heavy.

No, not yet. There's still time. His struggles slowly faded, and finally he closed his eyes, welcoming a moment to relax.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Red was over tired, an obvious sign he'd been asleep for much longer than his normal 6 to 8 hours. But this wasn't surprising to him, because when he opened his eyes he found himself not on the lone bunk amongst lowlifes, but on an overly plush bed that had moulded to his form. Gingerly touching his forehead he felt the coarse wrap of fabric covering a now sealed wound.

'All I had to do was get injured and they'd give me the five star treatment? Someone could have told me this earlier.' He chuckled to himself, but regretted it immediately when a number of bruises made themselves know. He exhaled and focused on his breathing.

Through the window to his left he could see rain steadily turning the manicured lawn into a mud bath, a sign which he interpreted as him being out for around 12 hours, give or take. With that his thoughts went back to the fight, the equal completion between himself and the titans leader that had probably left them both in poor condition. Red didn't want to admit it, but the thirst for bloodshed in the other's eyes had scared him. The boy wonder, who had always been committed to keeping the city safe from violent acts, had committing one as though his life deepened on it. If word ever got out his image would be slandered, no one would trust the titans anymore.

He mulled over similar thoughts until a young blond nurse entered the room, carrying a tray of food. She smiled as he tried to sit up to retrieve the delicious looking meal, hunger radiating from his eyes.

"Good to see you awake, I assume you're feeling better?"

No way was he letting that food get away. "Sure am sweetie, thanks for bringing this in for me." And now for the best smile he could muster.

"That's good to hear Richard. And it's nice to see that you're being much more hospitable after your little brawl." She placed the tray on his lap, and smiled once more before leaving the room.

'Richard?' He shook his head. 'Must be a name they picked out for me.'

It was time to dig in, the large piece of meat begging him to eat it, but the gears of his mind were finally working up to full ability. Richard. Richy Richard Rich. Or sometimes shortened to…

"Shit. They think that I'm…Shit!" Staring at his dinner, it finally made sense, and the laugh came back. It hurt, but he couldn't help himself. In between his fits of laughter he managed to take bits of his food, and finally satisfied with his fill he laid back in the bed, questioning how long he could hold the ruse…

xXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The rain hadn't let up anywhere around Jump City, and while the air was crisp & clean the mood it brought with it rivaled the gloom of Gotham. The silence in the T-Car was only subdued by the rhythmic pattern of the windscreen wipers. No Titan felt prepared for what they were about to encounter, whether their leader had improved, or fallen further to his instability. It was Beast Boy who tried to break the silence.

"So…tonight, do we want to go out for pizza? I mean… all of us together, if you think it's a good idea…"

He didn't sound too sure of himself, images of the Boy Wonder's manic face still fresh in all of their minds. But Starfire tried to put on a determine face.

"Yes. I believe going out for the pizza would be good."

No one else spoke until they reached the front entrance of the hospital, where they were greeted by the same nurse who had taken Robin in. Smiling as always she greeted the team and led them down the hallway. To the teens, her tone sounded promising.

"For the first few days he was very reluctant to do anything, and then there was an incident with a patient from the criminal ward, but once he returned to his room he was much more compliant. It seemed all he needed was a physical way to vent his feelings."

That didn't sound too believable, but as long as their friend was back to his old self, they were happy with any kind of treatment. When the nurse opened the door at the end of the hall, the gloom of the outside world that had settled on the heroes faded away, as their eyes fell upon the familiar uniform adorning their leader.

"ROBIN!" Starfire was on him in a second, latching on with a bone crushing hug. "Oh how we have missed you! It is just not the same with you not being at the tower!"

Finally she realised he was grunting in pain, and quickly released her grip. For a second fear struck her, thinking she had once again invoked his anger, but the worry vanished just as fast when he gave her a sheepish grin while rubbing his stomach.

"Sorry, still a bit sore from getting my ass handed to me."

This time all the titans smiled back, and moved to give him a group hug, avoiding his bruised abdomen.

"Glad to see you better dude."

"Yeah, you were getting as creepy as when you were hallucinating about Slade."

Raven looked at Beast Boy, knowing that Slade was always a touchy subject, but Robin seemed unfazed as he returned the hug. When the team finally let go, they all made their way back to the entrance, signing out and each taking a seat in the car.

Robin took the passenger's seat, but stuck to looking out the window as the happy chatter amongst the titans returned. Throughout the talk of which pizzas to get, he couldn't help but watch the building disappear into the rain, and quietly laugh as he thought of the one person left behind within.