Red X closed his hand lightly over hers and drew her towards him. "No?" he asked. She shook her head. She felt almost hypnotized by his gaze. X nodded. "So, you did come to see me," he chuckled. Starfire lowered her eyes.

"I do not know. I do not think I did…" she mumbled. Red X laughed and squeezed her hand. He did not seem at all like a criminal right now… he almost seemed friendly. Red X sighed.

"Thinking is overrated. But then again, about everything in your life is. Your friends, fighting for 'justice', the kid and all his little toys…" The thief snorted. Starfire jerked away from him suddenly.

"Robin is not overrated. Neither is fighting for what is right... and my friends are not overrated either!" she trilled, her head held high and aloof. Red X rolled his eyes at the regal figure before him. No wonder the stupid kid in tights fell for her. ((A/N: er… X? You're wearing tights too, bud…))

"Really? How are you so sure? Have you ever seen anything else? Experienced anything else to compare them too?" he prodded. Starfire faltered.

"N-no…" she stammered. Red X nodded.

"Exactly."

"Excuse me?" she peeped. Red X snickered. "If all you are going to do is do the laughing at me than I believe I do not wish to stay here any longer!" she said incredulously.

"Sorry, sorry… here, how about we talk a little. You get to know me, I get to know you… then you can tell me your life's not overrated," he reasoned. Starfire nodded uncertainly. She should call her friends. She should put him in jail. He was evil. But for some reason… she didn't want to.

Robin left his room, mask replaced. Ambling into the kitchen, he flopped easily onto a chair. The other titans looked up, having already started eating lunch. Raven quirked a brow. "You're… eating with us?" she asked curiously.

"Whoa…" Beast Boy murmured in awe. Robin looked at them strangely.

"What?" he asked with a scowl.

"It's just… we thought you were having one of your little moods again, and figured we wouldn't be seeing you until like… next week or something," Cyborg managed between mouthfuls of his roast beef sandwich. Beast Boy stared at the robotic teen in disgust. Shaking his head, the changeling produced a tiny grey piece of paper cut in the shape of a tombstone, with the letters R.I.P. scrawled sloppily across it. He placed it mournfully on the uneaten half of Cyborg's sandwich.

Robin coughed while Raven and Cyborg just glared at him. Beast Boy shrugged. "Hey, isn't Star coming out to eat lunch too?" Cyborg asked. Robin nodded, his brows knotting.

"I thought she was with you guys," he said. Raven shook her head.

"We thought she was with you,"

"She was, but then she left." He muttered.

"Maybe she's on the roof. Or maybe she thought she'd take a nap and is still asleep," Raven shrugged. Robin gave a finicky nod.

"Or maybe she got abducted by aliens! Or maybe she's secretly in love with Red X and has gone to meet with him while we're not watching!" Beast Boy said dramatically, eyes shining with mischievous enthusiasm. Raven rolled her eyes. Idiot.

"Beast Boy… she is an alien. As for your other 'theory,' Red X is a criminal. Starfire doesn't go for bad boys," Robin said confidently. Beast Boy and his crazy ideas… Raven arched a brow.

"Bad Boys and Starfire? Hmm… that almost sounds blasphemous…" Raven murmured philosophically. Robin beat his head on the table. Why did he even try to reason with them? "Don't worry… I'm sure she'll be out in a minute." Raven said dryly, earning a glare from Robin. Lunch was uncomfortably quiet. Without Starfire's usual, rapturous jabber it was almost depressing. Robin wondered how they had stood each other for a whole year without her cheerful face to brighten the tower.

In short, Starfire didn't ever show up for lunch. She didn't even show up for dinner. Robin fidgeted uncomfortably; Starfire was never one to lock herself in her room. The Boy Wonder crossed irritably to her door and knocked its cool surface smartly. No answer. He sighed and punched in her lock override code. A soft click sounded and the door slid open to expose an uninhabited room. He quirked a brow and left, the door swishing shut automatically behind him. Robin jogged up the stairs to the roof. He swung the door open with a bang.

A frown swept over his features. Where was she?

Starfire smiled softly. Red X could not be as bad as Robin made him out to be. The masked criminal stretched out on his back, Starfire lying on the ground near by. "So. Now do you think your life's a little overrated?" he prodded. Starfire grimaced.

"I suppose… a little…" she muttered. Red X gave a contented sound. Starfire sat up and looked off at the rest of the deserted park. Red X had just spent the last four hours countering everything she said was good about the titans with something bigger and better in his wild life as a thief.

"See? You're restricted. They restrict you. Come on, Cutie, you know you're not being all you can be trapped up with those jokes. My life is unrestricted. I do what I want, when I want, and how I want," he stated firmly. Starfire sighed. It was true in a way… wait… four hours… talking with a criminal… alone… Starfire yelped and jumped to her feet. The sun was already sinking slowly below the horizon, dying the sky hues of amber and scarlet.

"I have to go! Now!" she cried. Red X blew out a breath and stood, walking to stand silently beside her. "Are you… can I…" she mumbled incoherently. Red X patted her shoulder lightly.

"Don't worry, Princess, I'll look you up sometime. Keep an eye out for me." He chuckled and slipped swiftly away from her, retreating into the shadows cast by the trees. Starfire stared after him. She bit her lower lip and took to the air, heading back towards the tower. A voice brought her back down to the ground.

"I expected to see you at lunch too, Kori," Robin's voice was quiet and, although he'd never admit it, there was an underlying tone of hurt. Starfire turned slowly, facing him with a wince. Robin was standing a few feet away, the dimming light casting ghostly patterns across his face.

"I-I was… I mean… I am sorry…" damn her inability to speak. She hugged her arms to her chest and stared up at him through slightly down cast eyes. Robin looked up at the sky, averting his gaze. After a moment, he looked back at her, and with a sigh he tugged off his mask.

"Kori… you- you missed dinner too. We even canceled training," Robin he muttered. He inwardly cursed his affection impediment. Starfire suppressed a bitter snort, her mind fleeting back to Red X. He'd said her life was overrated. Maybe he was right.

"I am sorry," she mumbled again. Robin raked a hand through his night-colored locks and came towards her. Starfire stood silently.

"Well… maybe you can make up for it or something. Come with me and we'll get ice cream... anything. The very least you can give me is dessert, right?" he shrugged and gave her an easy grin. A soft smile made its way across her face.

"Ok," she nodded. Robin took her hand, replaced his mask, and they walked out of the park together. Wonderful… between Robin's gentlemanly kindness and Red X's brash forwardness, Starfire didn't know who to be flattered by. Not that Robin couldn't be forward… with the aid of those dammed brownies.


Author's Note: Mwahaha! The brownies strike again! Sorry... well, here's another chappie. I'll try to get another one up later this evening. RedXStarfireRobin love triangle, woot woot! Lol. Hope you liked it. I feel weird making Robin all stiff and to himself in this story. I usually like the more spontanious and flirty side he had as Dick Grayson. Maybe I can have some fun with it later but for now I think I should make a deffinate difference in Red X and Robin's personalities. What do you think? Reviews appreciated.

Love, Princess Starfire of Tamaran