While Beast Boy was having his talk with Raven and Terra, Robin and Starfire retired to Robin's room. For a moment, the two of them looked at each other and smiled.

"Do you think that Beast Boy is going to reconcile with Raven and Terra?" Starfire asked.

"I hope he can," Robin replied, lying down on his bed.

Starfire lay next to him and began to cuddle, pressing her body close to his and wrapping her arms around him. "Why do you only hope?" she asked. "Do you not expect that their differences can be resolved?"

"It's not that I don't think his heart's in the right place. It's just...it's a nuanced issue, and Beast Boy's not exactly the most nuanced guy."

"I think he may surprise you."

"That's one thing I love about you," Robin replied, turning over on his bed so he could face Starfire. "You are always the optimist."

Starfire frowned. "I am unsure what you mean."

"Oh, sorry. It means you always think positively and expect things to turn out okay. I'm definitely not like that. I always expect the worst to happen."

"Yes, you are right," Starfire said, "but that is not a bad thing. Because of it, you always have a plan."

"That's true." Robin gave Starfire a kiss on the cheek.

Starfire smiled and brought him in for a longer kiss on the lips. She ran her hands through his hair, then giggled and pulled away. "I apologize," she said, "but I forgot how hard your hair is."

"It's the gel," Robin said. "Looks cool, but it feels like a porcupine when someone runs their hands through it."

"I am curious. Why do you add the gel to your hair?"

Robin took a moment to ponder the question. "It's kind of a long story."

"We seem to have the time."

"You're right," Robin said. "You're aware that before I came to Jump City that I was being mentored by Batman in Gotham."

"Yes, I recall that part of your past."

"He was an important part of my life at the time, but he was also extremely strict. You know how sometimes I get way too stubborn and serious?"

"Um...yes, I have noticed that."

"Picture that tenfold, and you have about half of how serious he could be. Anyway, he had strict guidelines around appearance. One guideline was that I had to keep my hair short and straight. He said it was so bad guys couldn't grab me by the hair. You know how many times that situation ever actually came up?"

"Zero?"

"Close. It did happen once in a fight with Poison Ivy, but I got out of it. Anyway, when I left Gotham, I decided that I was going to do whatever I wanted with my hair. I grew it out, the first time in ages I could do that, and then I decided to style it to make it look more intimidating. Hence the spiked look you see today."

"An interesting story." Starfire ran a hand through his hair again. "I have never seen you without your spiked hair. Are there pictures of you otherwise?"

"Not while wearing the Robin uniform. That was another rule of his. However, I think I saved some old school photographs, so if you really wanted to see it, you could."

"Yes, I absolutely want to see your old pictures." Starfire gave Robin a huge smile.

Robin chuckled. "Okay, hold on. I have them stored in an old shoebox in my closet." Robin left the bed and went to the closet. He rummaged on the high shelf until he found the old shoebox. He brought it down and took it back to the bed.

Starfire clapped when he took the lid off the shoebox. "I am excited."

"I know," Robin said with another chuckle. "The most recent school photo is here somewhere." He rummaged through the photos and pulled out the most recent one. "I took this in the eighth grade. Fair warning, I look really nerdy here."

Starfire took the picture from his hand and looked at it. His hair was straight, but he was also wearing thick-rimmed glasses and a button-down shirt. "Why were you wearing these glasses? I did not think you had a problem with your vision."

"I didn't," Robin said. "Batman said it would help me conceal my identity better. He told me that he got the idea from an old colleague of his."

"What other delightful pictures are in this box?" Starfire asked.

"Some old pictures of me as a kid when I was part of my family's circus act." For a moment, a tear got caught in Robin's eye, but he lifted his mask away from his face and wiped it dry.

The two of them went through all of the other photos in the shoebox. Starfire giggled at some of the earlier photos, especially his baby pictures. "I thought babies of your kind usually wore diapers."

"We do, but not all the time," Robin said. "Of course, my parents had to take a picture of me with my baby butt hanging out for the world to see."

Starfire started laughing. "Just when I think I know all there is to know about your planet, it still manages to surprise me."

"What about your planet?" Robin asked. "We only visited one time. I feel like you know way more about our planet than I do about yours."

"Customs in Tamaran are indeed quite different," Starfire said, her smile fading to a wavering frown. "Do not mistake me, I love your planet, but it is hard not to feel the sickness for home."

"I get what you mean," Robin said. "I lost my family a long time ago, and leaving Gotham behind was hard for me, too. It doesn't compare to your situation, but I think I get what some of that is like."

"You are correct, it does not compare. However, despite how badly I miss my family, your customs here are far freer, and there are many aspects of Earth culture that I like more."

"What things are better here?"

"The most significant one is the institution of marriage. You saw some of that when we visited Tamaran. Despite what my sister was attempting to do, arranged marriages are the norm there. I never would have been able to marry someone that I loved, because that is not the expectation on my planet, especially for royalty. Here, I can choose to marry who I love."

"I see," Robin said, his stomach squirming. "Just to let you know, arranged marriages on our planet still happen, and it was only until relatively recently in history that marriage for love was even conceived. Still, a lot of times it ends poorly. Divorce rates are so high that a lot of people wonder if it's even worth it."

"That is terrible," Starfire said. "I cannot imagine how that can even be possible."

"It's hard for me to understand, too," Robin said. "Sometimes the way people feel when they're younger fades away as they age, or there's stressors that trigger arguments, or maybe there's a life-changing event that makes people think differently afterwards. There are a lot of reasons for people to go their separate ways."

"Robin, please, I do not wish that for us." Starfire brought Robin into an embrace and kissed his cheek. "I want us to stay together for the rest of our lives."

"Hold on," Robin said. "What are you saying?"

"I am saying that I love you," Starfire responded, "and I would like to marry you and be together for the rest of our lives."

Robin's stomach was squirming even more now. "Wait, you really feel that way?"

"Of course. I have felt this way for a long time, but there was always something in the way. Whether it was Slade, Trigon, or some other villain, the mission always came first. Now that we have finally expressed our feelings for each other, I wish to waste no more of our time."

"Star, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I'm not sure I am ready for…"

"Ready for what?"

"You know what," Robin said, "I have to stop running away from this. I love you, too."

"You do!" Starfire smiled and gave Robin another strong kiss on the lips. Her excitement was so palpable that it made Robin excited as well, and he felt himself getting heated as the two continued to kiss. Just as it was getting almost too much to handle, Starfire pulled away.

"I just need to clarify one thing," Robin said. "There's no way we'd be able to marry until we're both eighteen. The laws here won't allow it otherwise."

"I understand," Starfire said. "That is not that far away, though, so I am willing to wait."

"There is...one thing we don't have to wait for," Robin said.

"What is that?" Starfire asked.

Robin whispered into her ear, and Starfire shuddered with excitement.

"I think you underestimate how long I have wanted to do that," she said.

"Do I, now?" Robin asked with a sly smile.

The two of them began kissing again, and this time things got heated quickly. Before either of them knew it, the clothing they had on was thrown to the floor. Before things could progress any further, a voice came on over the intercom.

"Rob, Star, it's chow time. Get dressed and get your butts down here for some good ol' fashioned Cyborg cooking."

Starfire and Robin broke their kiss. "How does Cyborg know that we are not—" Starfire began to ask.

"Never mind," Robin said quickly. "Let's just get going."

The communication ended, and Robin and Starfire both began blushing.

"I can't believe you just said that," Robin said.

"I apologize," Starfire said.

"No, it's okay," Robin said, laughing. "I just know Cyborg and Beast Boy are going to needle us to no end."

"Let us get going, then," Starfire said.

The two of them got dressed quickly and left the room.

While Beast Boy was having his talk and Robin and Starfire had retired to their rooms, Cyborg and Jinx were in the hall just outside the ops room.

"You know what would be fun?" Jinx asked.

"What?"

"If we tried to listen in on that conversation."

"Hang on," Cyborg said. "They're having a serious discussion in there, and BB's my best friend. I don't feel comfortable listening in."

"But it's so juicy," Jinx said with a slight whine in her voice. "We're missing all the fun. It's a literal love triangle. Don't tell me you're not at least a little interested."

Cyborg looked Jinx dead in the eye for a moment, but then sighed. "You're right. I'm curious, too."

"You got some gadget in there that lets you hear what's happening beyond the door?"

"Actually, I do," Cyborg said, "but you need to be quiet. I don't want us to get caught."

"Works for me."

Jinx and Cyborg went back to the door. Cyborg pressed a button on his wrist, and a cone emerged from the side of his head that amplified the sounds coming in from the ops room.

At the moment, Beast Boy was explaining what had happened between him and Raven earlier, followed by what happened with him and Terra.

"He kissed both of them?" Jinx whispered.

"Yeah, I guess," Cyborg said.

They continued to listen until they got to the point where Beast Boy said that he loved both Raven and Terra.

"Oh no, he didn't just say that, did he?" Jinx asked.

"Come on, BB, that's the worst thing you could have said."

"If his goal was to piss off both of them, then mission accomplished."

"Quiet quiet."

They continued listening again until Beast Boy made his joke about having a threesome.

"Dude, that's funny, but time and place," Cyborg said.

"That's not funny," Jinx said. "Of course you would think it was, you're a guy."

"Wait, hold on," Cyborg said. "It was just a joke."

"Not really. It's a joke about having a threesome."

"Well...yeah. I mean, come on, two girls and one guy? It's the ultimate fantasy."

"Let me just ask you one thing," Jinx said. "Would you be comfortable with a threesome going the other way?"

"You mean two guys and a girl?" Cyborg asked. "Um...yeah, I guess that would make me uncomfortable."

"Then you know how I feel," Jinx said. "If it's not a situation where all three are enjoying it, then it's not right."

"Huh," Cyborg said. "I guess I'm a little surprised."

"Surprised? What the hell does that mean?"

"Um…" Cyborg said, realizing quickly he had landed himself in hot water again. "I don't know, I just thought you were...damn, there's no way to say it without sounding like an ass, so I apologize in advance. I always thought you were the kind of girl who'd be down for something like that."

"Um...excuse me?" Jinx asked. "What the hell made you think that?"

Cyborg could feel himself starting to sweat. "I'm sorry, I should've known better, but I always heard rumors about you at the academy."

"What rumors?"

"That you...liked to play all sides."

"Who told you that?"

"I don't know, it was just rumors. I'm sorry, I should never have assumed."

"You're right, you shouldn't have assumed." Jinx sighed. "You know, I really should be more angry with you than I actually am."

"You're not angry?"

"I didn't say that. I said I'm not as angry as I should be. I'm still angry."

"Right...sorry again."

"It's fine," Jinx said. "Look, rumors happen. That's just a fact of life. In terms of offensiveness, rumors that I was bisexual don't even crack the top five. It's the fact that you still believed it even after the two of us have gotten close. That's what I'm mad about."

"Damn," Cyborg said. "Jinx, I am so sorry. I was being immature, and I discounted your feelings when I joked like that. That won't happen again."

Jinx gave Cyborg a smile and hit him playfully in the arm. "That's the problem with you."

"What is?"

"I can't stay mad at you. You're too damn adorable for your own good."

"Well, booyah, then," Cyborg replied with a roguish grin.

"Jerk," Jinx said playfully, pushing him. "You know how stupid that catchphrase is?"

"Stupid?"

"Yeah. We used to bet on it, the rest of the H.I.V.E. Five."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"We'd bet on how many times you'd say 'booyah' in a fight. Then, when we inevitably lost, we'd tally the results."

Cyborg started laughing. "Maybe I do say it too much."

"I won more than anyone else," Jinx said. "Probably because I knew you the best."

"Boo...I mean, great," Cyborg said.

Jinx laughed and wrapped her arms around Cyborg, giving him a kiss on the lips. "Just don't say it when we're in bed, please."

"In bed?" Cyborg asked. "Are you saying…"

"Well, yeah," Jinx said. "I mean, I was pretty angry earlier, and angry sex is the best sex, right?"

"Sure," Cyborg said, trying hard to contain his growing excitement. "Uh, wait, we were supposed to be eavesdropping."

"Oh, shit, you're right. I forgot."

The two of them went back to the door and listened. At this point, Beast Boy was explaining that he would not be able to decide between his two friends, and that the three of them had decided not to take any action either way.

"They made up, and we missed it because we were arguing about threesomes," Cyborg said.

Jinx shushed him, and they listened closer again.

"Cyborg, you and Jinx can come in now," Raven said.

Cyborg and Jinx groaned, but then Cyborg put away his amplifier and the two walked into the room.

Red X opened the door to his apartment and slammed it shut behind him. He took off his mask and threw it on the floor, then went to his bedroom and collapsed on his bed. He spent time ruminating on everything that had happened at the warehouse.

"What am I doing?" he asked himself aloud. "I'm not supposed to be on anyone's side but my own, and yet I let the Titans escape. I'm not supposed to be the good guy...right?"

He turned to his right side, then turned again to his left. Regardless of his position, he was restless. He finally got off the bed and walked over to a punching bag he had installed. He began punching it, sending the bag flying on contact. He gave the bag a flurry of punches until he was completely exhausted and his arms were sore. "What do I do now?" he asked himself.

He thought about the Zynothium weapons Slade had promised him. He then realized that betraying Slade had cost him those weapons. "Would he have followed through?" he asked himself. "Or would he have screwed me over?"

He then thought about Robin, the hero behind the Red X identity, the identity he had appropriated for himself, just as he had appropriated the Robin mantle himself all those years ago. "What did Batman ever do for me? The second I was abducted, he abandoned me. I vowed to fight for myself, and myself alone. So what am I doing now?"

Red X had no answers for any of these questions, which made him all the more frustrated. "I can't possibly be growing a conscience," he said. "I thought that part of me died a long time ago."

He recalled the torture he had been through from the man he refused to recall by name. Months he had been abducted, completely at his whim, and the things he had done to him...psychopath was too kind a word. "That's who my real enemy is," Red X said. "That's the man I should be going after."

He went back to his bed, groaning as he sunk into it. "I need some fucking sleep," he decided. Red X shut his eyes, hoping that things would seem less grim after he was well-rested, hoping he wouldn't have dreams about the maniac who had kidnapped and tortured him. For him, uneasy sleep was all too often the norm these days. Just before drifting into sleep, he realized that he would either need to get his revenge for what happened to him, or continue to run, as he had been, for the rest of his life. Hopefully, after waking up, the choice would become clear. Until then, he would have to wrestle with the issue in his dreams.