Red-X partially climbed on top of Blackfire, as far as he could anyway, and pressed himself against her to hide the insignias on his shirt. He pretended to be so engrossed in making out that he didn't notice the two police officers now both shining their lights into the car.
One of them was about to bang on the window and ask for ID, but the other stopped him. They turned their lights off and continued walking.
Red-X stopped kissing her. Blackfire's eyes narrowed and she stared at him. Was she mad? Was she excited? Was she happy that his quick thinking had prevented them from having to neutralize two cops and have their cover blown?
She ran her tongue over her lips and thought a moment. "I've had better," she said.
Red-X smiled and began to move back into his seat when she patted his inner thigh.
"Is that a tube of Xenothium in your pocket or did you enjoy it a little too much?"
He laughed and sat back in his seat. "It's a tube of Xenothium, babe," he said, pulling a red cylinder out of his pocket. "…But, uh, I did enjoy the kiss."
They were silent for a moment.
"Your face doesn't look like Robin's," she said. "But ... I can tell you've had surgery."
He grunted and started to put his mask back on.
"Aw, don't do that," she said. "And I think your eyes look like Robin's."
"Show's over, kid," he said as his mask was back in place. "And you've never seen Robin's eyes."
"Maybe I have and maybe I haven't," she teased, as she picked up her gift wrapped package off the floor. "Maybe we'll pull his mask off tonight."
"We are not doing any such thing. All I'm doing is getting you inside. And I hope that isn't a bomb."
"A bomb?" For a moment she looked hurt. "It is a gift for my sister!"
As she handled the package, she noticed part of it didn't feel right. Carefully she unwrapped it for an inspection. It was a doll of a male Tamaranean warrior, but there was a crack in the neck and one of the arms had broken off.
Blackfire felt sick in her stomach. "No! How can I give this back to her like this?" She wanted to cry, but she wasn't about to let Red-X, or anyone else, see that.
"I can fix it," he said.
"How?"
"I've got all the tools back at my place. Come on, it will only take a little while," he started to get out of the car.
She eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure?"
"I promise," he said. "And we shouldn't just be sitting in this car. I've got a beautiful view of Titan's Tower."
Blackfire got out with the package and Red-X grabbed all the trash from their meal, to leave no traceable evidence. Her fingerprints would hardly be traceable, and he always had his gloves on.
He walked over to her and took her hand and pressed the control on his belt. They teleported away, leaving the car unlocked. It would, no doubt, be stolen again before the night was over.
They re-materialized outside the door of Red-X's condominium on the top floor. The door automatically unlocked when it detected his presence.
"It's not going to work," she said flatly.
"What?"
"I'm not going to jump into bed with you."
He laughed. "But you find me so exciting…"
"You wish. But even if I did, you're out of luck. I don't … do that anymore."
"Good for you, babe. But for the record, I just invited you here to fix the doll."
They went inside. His living room was elegantly furnished, but not extravagant, except possibly for the TV screen that covered an entire wall. The room was decorated with high class paintings and sculptures, no doubt originals from some museum. Everything was very tidy.
"Allow me to fix you a drink," he said as he led her into the kitchen.
"Sure," she said.
She wandered into the dining room. It was huge, as if he had removed a wall to enlarge it. One whole wall was glass and there was a clear view of the bay and Titan's Tower. It was a special one way glass, allowing no one to look in.
In fact, the room was not really a dining room. It was his huge workshop. The large table had one spot cleared for eating and all the rest of it was covered with electrical components, circuit boards, and devices that had been taken apart or new ones that were being built. The walls were covered with cabinets and shelves, stocked with everything imaginable for an evil genius. Except for one wall which only had pictures of the Teen Titans, and most of them were of Robin.
She walked over and looked through the eyepiece of a powerful telescope that was aimed at the Tower. Red-X handed her a glass. "Scotch on the rocks," he said. She sniffed it cautiously.
He sat down at the table and took the doll out of its wrapping. He pulled off his mask and examined the damage to the doll with a magnifying glass. She studied his spiky black hair while she downed her drink in one gulp.
"It must be a problem for you when you bring all these women home," she said. "They'd mess up all your carefully arranged toys."
"I don't bring women here," he said. Then, perhaps sensing her smirk, he added, "Who says I don't have other houses?"
"I'm sure you do. But yet you spend most of your time here -alone."
He laughed derisively as he got a tube of glue out of one of the cabinets and sat back down. "Who told you that?"
"No one. But I know you - call it a woman's intuition." She sauntered around the room examining things. "You could do so many things, but you're trapped by your obsession. You're obsessed by someone else who you represents things that you can't ever be. Someone who you could have been - maybe even should've been - but your just not."
"Just who are we talking about here?" he asked her pointedly.
"The Boy Wonder," she replied as she indicated the wall of photos.
"Sugarbuns, have you been smoking the mustard, and maybe a few other condiments? It's only good sense to study your opponent, and the Titans are my only real opponents."
"Nosyarg Kcid is obsessed with Robin - and he is Robin from another dimension." She smiled and wagged her finger thoughtfully as it was all coming together. "Slade is obsessed with Robin - now he is most likely an older copy of Robin who is twisted now and evil. So that means you are-"
"-Really starting to get annoyed," he snapped. "Look, do you want me to fix this thing or not?"
"Fine," she pouted.
He had the crack in the warrior's neck sealed up, and he started to attach the arm. "How do you even know of all these people? You said Starfire won't even talk to you."
An alarm beeped on his phone and he checked it. "They're home. Take a look."
She looked through the telescope again and saw Robin and Starfire pulling into the garage on his motorcycle. They were dressed up as through they were returning from an evening on the town.
"We'll give them a little time to get settled in," she said. "I want to catch my sister alone in her room."
"What makes you think she won't be with Robin?"
"It's bath night for Silkie. Robin can't stomach that yet."
He got that arm glued on and set it down for the glue to dry. "You still haven't told me how you know all these things."
"My little sister is still second in line for the throne on Tamaran. So the government spies on her, and monitors all her communications…"
"Then they must spy on you, too."
"They used to, back when I was a princess" She sighed and a little sadness crept into her voice. "Now I'm a nobody … But I still have a few sources on the inside, you know, the occasional ex-boyfriend who can't get over me…well, not yet anyway. Like I said, I'm a nobody."
She walked through the archway back into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Red-X followed and sat down next to her.
"You're not a nobody."
"I don't want my sister to hate me anymore. Sure, she has all the luck, and her goody-good personality really pisses me off…but I miss her, you know?"
"I know," he said as he stroked the skin on her arm.
"I did some mean things to her, and maybe she didn't deserve all of them. But I think if I give her back her favorite doll, and show her how I took care of it all these years, she might forgive me."
He looked into her eyes. "Then don't do it tonight."
"Do what?"
"Go over there and see her. Look, you said earlier that you have intuition about me? Well, I know you the same way. Don't go there with the honest intention make up with your sister, but then 'accidentally' find yourself alone with Robin and tell him how you can 'do all those things that Starfire won't do'."
Her eyes widened in shock. "I wasn't going to say that! … I promised myself I wasn't going to do anything like that."
"You shouldn't see her until you are certain … Certain that the old jealousies aren't going to come up. Because someday she won't forgive you anymore."
"I know." She sighed and looked down.
"It wouldn't work anyway. He loves Starfire."
She stared back at him and laughed. "'Love' only lasts until someone better comes along…"
"You don't understand Robin. He loves Starfire. Just like he believes that his life has a purpose and good will triumph over evil."
"What about you?"
"Unfortunately, babe, I've had to become a little more jaded."
"I can respect that," she said with a smile.
Something beeped on her belt and she took out a crystal. "I got a text from Glrdlskletch."
"Your husband?"
"I told you, he's just a good friend. He lets me live there, and he doesn't ask me about where I've been. By the way, I need to pick up an Earth delicacy for him – something called a 'cream filled doughnut'"
"They're easy enough to get. How many?"
"Uh … ten thousand. Also maybe he'd like two hundred calzones."
"I'm not paying for that."
"Fine," she said as she stood up. "You win. I'll see my sister another time - when I'm certain."
"And dressed like a librarian," he added.
She shot him a sharp glance and went to get the doll.
"Leave the doll here," he said. "I'll keep it safe for you…And that way I'll get to see you again."
She walked over to the front door and he opened it for her.
"It had better be safe," she said. "You don't want me to get angry with you."
"No, I don't," he agreed.
There was a long moment when they looked at each other. Then she swished her long hair provocatively.
"Goodbye, Mr. X," she said as she flashed her beautiful smile and confidently walked out and down the hall without so much as a glance back.
He watched her body for a moment as she walked away, then with a sigh he closed the door. But before it closed all the way, a powerful force knocked it back open.
Blackfire stood there with one hand pushing the door open. With the other hand she grabbed Red-X and pulled him in as she kissed him passionately and roughly.
After a while, he released him. "I bet you'll be thinking about me after I'm gone," she said, and then turned and flew away.
"I bet I will," he said.
Author's note: I hope you liked my idea for a story about Blackfire and Red-X, which is not a pairing I had ever thought of before, but I did it for blackx week on tumblr. I wanted to show a different side of Blackfire.
Now its back to BBRae and Tears Never Dry In Azarath...
