Please read the warnings, notes and disclaimer in Chapter 1 if you have not done so before continuing.

Thank you very much for your generous reviews. And to Mistress of Chibis, I'm glad the characterization is upto par since that is one of my main goals for this story. Though I personally feel this chapter is too long-winded, I hope I can can consistently meet or exceed everyone's standards in future installments.

I also apologize for the tardyness of this chapter. I'm letting my mood dictate when to continue writing and school has reopened as well so updates will be on the slow side.

Lastly, since I have only watched up to the "Revolution" episode, all the events up to that episode have occured for this story. But the Brother Blood arc will most likely be not mentioned or ignored.

Note: Entire paragraphs in italic is describing the psychological realm (it'll be clear in the chapter...I think).

Chapter 2 and 3 not beta read.

3: How Do You Do?

"Remember, we only have today and tomorrow off, then straight back to work."

"I know, I know. Little Redbreast will be caught by then. Though, two days is hardly enough time to tease properly. A week or so would be more appropriate."

"That may be, little brother, but work before pleasure."

"Just let me finish up this ribbon. Presentation sets the mood and all that. "

"Presentations, angles, close-ups… I gotta say, with a camera, you have an artistic flair."

"Heh, maybe I should have been a photographer. But where's the fun in watching when you can't touch?"

oooooo

Piled up inside the T-car, Cyborg drove just slightly over the city speed limit. Usually he would have had to stick to the limit but the watchdog named Robin wasn't in the car with them. He could be incredibly anal sometimes over trifle little things and sounded hypocritical when the group was, in essence, vigilantes. But Cyborg didn't drive more than an extra 10km/h; they still had to uphold an example of at least moderately abiding the law.

And of course, they were teens and everyone knows teens have the uncanny instinct to speed anything and everything up.

"Maybe we should go back and help Robin with whatever it is he needs to look after?" Starfire inquired for what could have been the fifth time.

Beside her, Beast Boy in dog form had his head out the window as the slobber drizzled from his tongue. Hearing Star's comment again he stuck his head back and morphed to normal. "C'mon mommy Star, you know he'll have a spazz-attack if we follow him." The little nickname he implanted wasn't lost on anyone as the other two knew how maternal the alien could be with any of them sometimes.

"It took us weeks before we stopped mother henning him after that freak chemical attack." Cyborg almost growled at the thought of that incident. Even with Slade being only in his mind, how the hell Robin managed to mangle himself like that reminded him how extraordinary the Boy Wonder really was. "He still wants to know he can take care of himself. Besides, after putting up with us worrying over him, he probably wants private brooding time."

"But that was for his benefit." Starfire countered. "He understood that so he let us help at least until his wounds had healed. And with him so eagerly delving into the current crimes—"

"Take it from me Star," Cyborg stopped the car waiting for the green light, "if you pull the leash on a teen too tight, they're going to bite back ten-fold. I remember when my parents wouldn't even let me go on a bus to get to school on my own. And this was when I was fourteen! It's was years of hell for me before the accident." The light turned green, and the T-Car was on the move again. "Gotta give teens some room or they'll never ask help. Common sense tends to be buried along with the kid by worry when it comes to family."

"But…" Starfire started but didn't continue on. It was because the Titans were very much her second family that she did not want to see any of them suffer. Yet, the half-robot's words did ring true. She would remember being angry with her over-protective Nana when he wouldn't let her even leave the palace until she was of proper age due to her royalty. When she finally found freedom, she had gotten into much trouble due to her eagerness and ignorance of the world. But it was also how she learned to ask for help instead of expecting help to be handed to her. She learned the value of humility on her own—the only way it can be truly understood.

With her care for the other Titans, she felt she finally understood why her Nana was both proud and sad of her gain of independence.

The youngest teen lay his hand on Star's arm, "Hey, as stuck up prissy-boy he can be sometimes, he's the one who usually busts our butts out of trouble. Right, Raven?"

Raven, sitting in the passenger seat next to Cyborg listened quietly to the others as she watched the city go by through the window. There were people going about their daily jobs, mothers walking with their children, trucks rushing off to make their deliveries on time. It was a continuous scene of random portrayals of normal lives just passing the teens by. "He has his communicator with him. He'll call if he needs help." If his arrogance won't get in the way, she added to herself. The boy's want of—need of—being able to stand on his own amongst them seemed irrational to her. It was especially so since no one questioned his skills except in life or death situations, and that was the same for everyone. Control-perfectionists always did puzzle her.

Starfire nodded, half assured. These past months had seen the group go through problems and changes that have affected them in the long term. Perhaps that was scraping the back of her mind all this time. Friends come and gone, new faces on the wrong side of justice, and the old faces that just wouldn't go away.

"Hey Cyborg, stop at the next corner would ya?" Beast Boy eyed a small floral shop at the oncoming corner.

Raven eyed the goal the other was looking at. With her mind caught in the web of external emotions and meditation, she nearly forgot about the bi-weekly visit. "I thought you said you had no cash." She stated it as fact instead of question.

The car came to a stop at the corner in front of a floral shop. All four Titans stepped out of the vehicle with Beast Boy practically jumping out of the window.

"I don't…well not for me anyways. I mean, for luxuries 'n stuff…ya know?" The changeling hesitantly stuttered.

"Yeah yeah, whatever romance boy," Cyborg waved, "go and get it before all the good ones are sold out." He leaned against the car with a smile on his face.

"Do you mind if I help with the selection, Beast Boy?" The alien chirped.

Beast Boy nodded, gesturing with a hand to come with him. He leapt into the flower shop with Starfire floating behind to pick another perfect flower for the next visit to Terra's grave.

ooooooo

Below the building he crouched upon were the heroes he was searching for, minus one. Two left the car heading inside the building across from his twenty-third story perspective while the remaining two waited by the car.

Maybe it was a better idea to approach the four goody two-shoes than to wait for their ring leader to arrive. After all, Robin must have been the most wound up, one-way focused, loves-to-be-right teenager that he had ever met. He wouldn't be gullible enough to gamble having faith in a criminal again. But then it wouldn't be as fun as poking the bird for amusement even for a little while. The others seemed they would give in too easily to his sugar-coated words.

Red X sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was scour the streets anymore than he had to when there was no potential profit. He could be resting in a comfy, luxurious hotel after a hard night's work right now. Then again, he did that when he was bored—and he had been bored since losing the original belt freshly powered with xynothium.

The thief stood up, rubbing the side of his head with a gloved hand. Again he questioned his recent behaviour as he sprinted off to the opposite direction the Titans drove from.

oooooo

Robin used the express way of rooftops to arrive to reach destination which just happened to be located at the less reputable part of the city. A district once bustling with business and entertainment was now a haven for drugs and crime. It was the area where the city would try to sweep its less glamorous side under the carpet. But families who could only afford less than standard homes lived here, living with what they had.

He passed by some houses with mothers and fathers watching over their children as the youngsters played in the back yard. Few were seen at the neighbourhood playground and the play equipment and small buildings with bullet holes explained why. Pity for them was ejected years ago. Instead, he understood just how dauntless people can be to live out their lives the best they can even in a place where walking was dangerous. There was more to be appreciated than pitied and gave him all the more reason to continue his work.

Flying by from top to top, the Boy Wonder landed on the building across from an old toy factory. The square that was circled in red indicated this was where he was supposed to be. Doors and windows were haphazardly boarded up with wooden planks, and the giant cracks in the walls didn't help it look of study. Various giant letters at the rooftop that would have spelled out a company's name were missing due to part of the roof having collapsed. But the giant teddy bear model was surprisingly in good condition compared to the building beneath it. Graffiti decorated the walls but that too was fading. All indications pointed that very few had visited this place for a long time.

Knowing full well this could be—or rather blatantly was—a trap, his masked eyes scoured the perimeter. Almost fifteen minutes had elapsed and there was no sign of life, not even a flutter of birds or a buzz of insects. Slowly, with a grapple latched onto the toy factory, Robin swung his way down at the base of the building and left behind the box with the wing at the rooftop. Quickly, he took under the cover of shadows made by the building as the sun started to set in the west. More minutes passed and still no sign of anyone.

Taking an extra dose of caution, Robin crept along the wall until he reached the main entrance. Its doors were wide open, but, no sign of life. He pried his head around the frame of the door. Light poured in from where ever the sun could stream its rays through the windows and the gaping hole in the roof. Machinery left to rust lay dormant with gears and tools sprawled across the floor. With the amount of dust built up, it looked as if nothing was disturbed.

That is, except for another box wrapped in brown paper in the middle of the building under a natural spotlight below the hole in the roof.

Never relaxing his guard, his legs lead him to the parcel. He didn't feel any presence around him, but he remained alert.

Deliberately, the Titan picked up the box, somewhat heavier than before. There was nothing written on it this time. He pulled the red ribbon knot, and the same coloured box just as previous was revealed. Unconsciously, he held his breath and opened the lid.

And he discovered just what species the wing was from.

The rest of the unfortunate bird, a robin missing only its single wing, lay dead inside. Its beak was partially open, likely from gasping for breath in its last moments. The red chest was intensified by the blood leaking from the wound. A round, black eye was staring right back at him and he couldn't help but feel it was screaming to him a warning.

Accompanied with the bird was a white envelope, this time not as stained with blood as most of it was absorbed by the dead feathers.

Trying not to stare at the animal and its silent message as he left it back on the floor, he took the envelope. With nothing on the sealed side, he turned it over to the front where addresses would usually be written.

His mask narrowed at the lyrical words. Instead of an address, there was a rhyme:

Little Robin Redbreast
Sat upon a rail.
Niddle, naddle went his head;
Wiggle, waggle went his tail.

A nursery rhyme… and it sounded vaguely like what his mother used to croon to him when he was very young. However, the words failed to give rise to security his mother's voice used to make. As he read over those words again, and down to the bird, the tremor from before sprouted in his spine.

But he'd be damned if he'll be intimidated by nameless bastards who get a kick out of scaring the young. Robin squashed the tremor, and defiantly opened the envelope…

…only to discover whether he should be freaked out of the bird, or the contents of the envelope.

Four polaroids of him nestled inside. One by one he looked, and with each look his eyes began to widen. The Titan looped though four times to finally understand the connection of the rhyme to the photos.

The first photo was of him smiling to Starfire at the restaurant.

The second was of him perched at the patio's banister just after the team received an emergency call.

The third was of him fighting the criminals, a too up close shot of his face frozen in the heat of battle.

The fourth was of him…the back side of him, where the body part was often nicknamed the "tail" was magnified as his kick crushed the criminal's hand of his gun.

His mouth hanged open.

These…were taken today…within the hour…while eating with his friends… He was being watched.

Intimately watched.

Hands slowly lowered with the photos almost slipping from his fingers. Though the lack of light made it difficult to tell, the colour in his cheeks ran away from the images. He eyed the dead bird again. Now the eye looked as if saying,"I told you so."

Suddenly a musical note stuck the air. Startled by the abrupt noise, Robin turned around while reaching and extending his staff in one motion. The photos fell to the floor as his attention centered on the sound. Adrenaline willed away the fear he could never admit and instead filled his veins with aggression as he always trained himself to do.

A figure stood with his hands in his pockets at the entrance of the factory. His hair was short and black with equally dark suit and sunglasses. A faint melody echoed the interior. It took a moment for Robin to figure out the man was whistling. London Bridge is Falling Down, he named the melody in his head. "Stay where you are!" His voice broke through the whistle, but didn't sound as intrepid as it should have been.

"Aw, little Redbreast, is that how you say thank you to your admirer?" The man bared his teeth in a smile much too polite. "I thought you would like the pretty bird."

"Redbreast" wasn't too pleased with the nickname. "Who are you? Why did you send me that sick—" The step the stranger took cut off his words. In response, Robin tightened his hold on his staff and pointed it squarely at the stranger's head. "I said, stay where you are!"

The smile didn't fade as a red-gloved hand rose from a pocket and adjusted his sunglasses. "I told you, I'm an admirer. I'd just like to be friends with you…" Red eyes behind the black glass slithered up and down the boy's body memorizing every curve. "Close friends…" He had to keep himself from salivating as his senses were starting to grow wild. The perfume of fear he tasted as the object of his affection was overwhelmed by his gifts was intoxicating.

And he wanted more.

His mind's eye delved into the Titan's mind unannounced. Unexpectedly, it was easier to penetrate the boy's meagre mental defences than he thought. It was as if someone already broke and entered before him.

He imagined the boy staring ahead in defiance, but not noticing his presence. Oddly, there were fading bruises where his skin was exposed. A large one around one of the eyes, a generous dose on his arms, and even healing cuts all over his body where parts of his uniform was tattered. The man walked around the mental image of the boy, all the while smiling at his physical form. Despite the injuries, the physique was splendid.

That answer only succeeded in bringing up more questions. Robin continued try to leash the conversation under his control, "Are you part of the recent wave of murders involving children?" Red-gloves only offered his Cheshire grin in response. The silence was getting on Robin's nerves. "Answer me!"

The man's vision of Robin stood rigid as the corporeal version in this surreal world of thought and instinct. He raised his hand on to the boy's shoulders. Instantly they stood in a hallway materializing in the teen's unconsciousness. Each door had a mask nailed to it, the type of mask symbolizing drama and comedy of theatre and plays. But, there were more than two masks of Happy and Sad attached to each door. One door displayed a mask of Rage, another showed Apathy, then Sorrow, Love, Hate, Envy, Anxiety, Kindness, Optimism… Some were scratched, some dented as if there was a brawl. Others seemed like they were never opened before. The doors went on and on but both ends were finite. Those ends however, were clouded in mist.

Robin, the one in Red-gloves' vision, stood before the open door of Bravery with the strong winds originating behind it warmed his skin. But he could feel a cold draft coming from a door down the hallway, the cold creating the shiver in his spine. The man closed the Brave door shut, and gingerly he turned the boy's shoulders down the hall. No resistance came in the world of the unconscious. He experienced many react too late to do anything.

They followed the bitter breeze until Red-gloves arrived to the door he was looking for. It was only slightly open, just enough to allow a draft. The mask that decorated it had carvings of large wide eyes, the mouth contorted into something much more twisted to a scream.

He left the boy standing in front of it, and ever so slightly, the door was pushed to widen the opening even more…

Robin furled his brow watching his hands shaking ever so slightly. The resolve he had to confront the man in front of him weakened. A sudden attack of anxiety loosened his grip on his staff as it lowered, his arms feeling heavier than usual.

Sound of footsteps caught his attention and focused his eyes in front of him closed in the distance between them halfway. Surprised that the man managed to walk up to him that fast and undetected, the man was merely two metres away. "J, just stop right there!" Robin faltered backwards from the advancement, needing the urge to keep his personal space large and wide.

Red-gloves merely continued to smile, "Once I saw a little bird come hop, hop, hop..."

The more the man stepped, the farther the Titan kept faltering back. He didn't know why. He had his emotions under control less than a moment ago and now he felt like the beginnings of a panic attack. Breaths became quick and shallow, his heart beating for more oxygen. But still the Titan's leader willed himself to calm down. At least, stop his hands from shaking and get a firm grip on his staff before it slipped from his fingers.

Then out of the darkness behind him, "And I cried, 'Little bird, will you stop, stop, stop?'"

Robin abruptly stopped as his back hit something. It couldn't have been the wall though it could pass for one. It was warm unlike the unforgiving cold of steel, but he felt fabric against the back of his neck. His instincts summoned back enough adrenaline to twirl his staff back at the second figure with enough force to knock an adult out.

The door of Bravery didn't seem to have been shut properly.

But the staff didn't finish its job. He found his weapon caught in a white-gloved hand by a man with equal taste in fashion as the other. Robin pulled and pulled but the weapon refused to budge. The new man was big, though maybe not as much as Cyborg. Perhaps comparing to Slade in height and build beneath the suit was more accurate.

Feeling the one with red gloves nearing, he knew he had to remove himself from this pincer attack. Using the staff as leverage, Robin jumped in front of white-gloves and landed a swift kick at his face. With his momentum he rounded over the staff then let go as he tucked and rolled away from the two men, finishing up on his feet.

White-gloves massaged his jaw looking from the staff to the Boy Wonder and back. A line of red slipped from the corner of his lip, but casually licked it back. "Feisty, isn't he, Tom?"

"Yeah, just a little darling, Jack." The younger brother answered with smiles in his voice.

Standing side by side, the one named Jack was half a foot taller than the one named Tom. And Tom seemed like a toothpick besides the taller man but still filling out his suit.

All of a sudden Robin had an irrational idea that he was too outmatched. The tremble in his hands came back again and he hoped it was from the adrenaline pump. His hand managed to reach around his belt to pull out two birdarangs, readying for an attack.

Jack twirled the staff once, and with one smooth stroke threw it like a javelin at his prey.

Robin caught sight of the move and timed his leap to jump over the bar. At the peak of the jump he let his birdarangs fly at his opponents. But he didn't anticipate for the staff to stop in mid-air as he was descending, swing like a baseball bat and knock the wind out of his lungs. The Titan tumbled to the floor from the air strike. In the last second, he managed to gain control of the fall by rolling on his shoulders and recover in a crouch.

Just in time to see his birdarangs fly off in two different directions away from the two men.

That wasn't supposed to happen…

Robin lightly touched his stomach where he took the hit. Already he felt the beginnings of a bruise taking form. But his face didn't betray the look of pain, only of puzzlement.

This time, the attack came in the form of a charge. Taking more drastic measures, Robin threw two explosive discs straight at the sprinting men. Again his eyes widened, watching the projectiles move up ninety degrees in mid-air to pass right above their heads. The wall behind crackled in a deafening explosion more strongly than it should have. Left over oil, the Boy Wonder surmised even in the heat of battle. Despite the large blast, there was minimal fire burning. Most of the residual fuel must have been burnt instantly by the initial impact.

Tom unleashed a straight punch at the teen but Robin easily dodged to the side. Jack opted to swipe his leg below to knock the boy down. Again Robin saw it happening and back flipped between the two over the kick. Standing on his hands and splitting his legs, the Titan gyrated in both chests and sprang onto his boots.

Jack and Tom staggered backwards, forcing a space between them. An unusual look of surprise, not the bad kind, painted their faces behind their sunglasses. Robin took that as a clue that they underestimated his fighting prowess. And he felt his courage coming back in full force in the comfort of that fact, but apprehension still lingered.

"Flexible, aren't you?" Tom remarked, "You should save the splits for the bedroom, luv."

His mouth was open but nothing came out. Robin could not think of a witty counter to that. The vague idea in his head of exactly what he meant didn't help hide the sudden growth of pink in his cheeks.

Tom caught the colour, and decided that it went so well with the fine, black hair. "Oh come on. You've never had a compliment like that while you prance around fighting in such tactics?" His red eyes pawed at the body before him. "Especially, in those tights."

"Now now, Tom. Keep talking like that and you'll—" Jack was cut off by a blur of green, red and black.

With speed neither anticipated, Robin charged and punched Tom squarely in the stomach. Another punch landed under the jaw when he keeled over at the impact of his mid rift. Thomas fell to the side and it became clear to the teen that he was not the fighter of the duo.

Jack approached the two in quick, long strides. But Robin didn't let up in his assault. He back punched the other but his fist was caught in the large hand. The teen pulled again to free his hand but the grip didn't falter.

"Like I was saying," the larger of the two men said, "keep talking like that and you'll ruffle his feathers."

Eyeing that Jack's knee was bent just right, Robin used it as a step to reach up and knee him in the chest over his heart. That earned his hand freedom and landed on all fours, engaging a low, swiping kick of his own to knock White-gloves on his back.

Robin stood as the other two were still down, but one of them seemed to be chuckling.

"I know how you like our toys in mint condition Tom, but I think slightly damaged is just as good in this case." Jack said, letting his chuckling die down.

"Let's just leave the pretty face, pretty, eh Jack?" Tom replied. With the pain subsided he sat up on his elbows and looked straight at Robin. All the while the smile never left, "I suggest you watch your back."

Oldest trick in the book and of all times it was a statement of fact. A large, wooden crate crashed onto Robin's back throwing him metres away. The back of his right shoulder ached from the full impact but nothing was broken. His titanium cape prevented splinters sticking to him. But it hurt as he pulled himself to hands and knees, with right arm shaking still from the sudden pain.

Too immersed by the suddenness of the attack, he didn't hear the sound of footsteps approaching him. An arm looped around his waist and hoisted him in the air, backbone against a body.

"See if you played nice we wouldn't be so rough on you, luv." Tom admonished as he held his prize in one arm ignoring the struggle of two green gloved hands.

Finger danced on a firm, struggling thigh. That prompted an elbow to Tom's forehead, missing the bridge of his nose thanks to a bit of panic on Robin's part. Tom clutched his head in what should be a resounding headache, dropping the boy.

A sudden impact pushed the Boy Wonder back to the ground. With uncanny speed he swung a punch… but nobody was above him. For that matter, Jack and Tom were nowhere in sight. The building started to echo a metallic rattle and with the dim lighting and the too empty space was making it difficult for Robin to pinpoint the location. He looked left and right and up and down, but nothing. His chest pounded as his breathing sped. Though still mostly in control of his emotions, the sound drawing closer made him nervous. He knew he shouldn't be but it was there all the same.

Taking advantage of a boy lost in thought, a length of chain slithered its way towards him and wrapped itself around a lithe leg. Fiercely, the chain pulled him down and Robin landed unceremoniously on his chin. The chain dragged him towards the darker corner of the room piled with crate, and all the writhing to pull the leg free from the grip failed. So he opted to release another birdarang. He threw it with perfect aim and cleanly cut the chain setting his leg free.

Unfortunately, once he got up again another crate was flying straight for him. This time he was able to roll underneath it. Then hurdle over another, and other came and another with no indication of anyone throwing. Soon too many smaller items besides crashing towards him and he couldn't dodge five things at once. Loose gears or small toy parts pelted him and he manoeuvred as best as he could, but the soreness in his injuries slowed him down. All too soon cuts began to spread, parts of his costume being shredded off from impacts. He backed himself against a junker of a machine, basically trapped.

He had to tell himself, no matter how much he wished he didn't want to admit, back up was necessary—a lesson he learned the hard way. Nimble fingers withdrew the communicator, while his free hand grabbed the corner of the industrial-strength cape and lifted it over his head for protection. "Titans! I need hel-…reinforcements! Converge on my coordin—AGHH!"

Robin howled in pain, dropping the communicator in surprise as a hand gripped his wrist and violently twisted it back behind him. Debris stopped shooting at him but the new pain attacked him. One false move on his or the assailant's part and the arm would pop out from its socket. The teen gritted his teeth against the pain, trying to not give out more sounds.

A resounding crunch echoed; the sound of a communicator crushed underneath a large boot. "I'm sorry," it was Jack's voice, "this dance is only for three." He unwound the arm just as he twisted it and twirled the teen to face him. "We only invited you to say 'how do you do,' but you just had to wiggle your tail and try to fly away." Large, masked eyes full of anger looked up at the dark shades. Though Jack couldn't deny he liked his brother's tastes. Except, looking at that face now, elder brother noted how anger suited the face that was left untouched in the onslaught before. He caught the other green-gloved hand before it reached the boy's utility belt. "You should really try to relax, Redbreast." All too easily Jack released the hand and instead seized him by the collar and slammed the Titan onto the wall of the machine, feet dangling above ground.

Robin couldn't prepare himself for the impact in time as the back of his head met with a sickening thud against metal. Stars floated in his vision, trying to regain focus. His free hand weakly reached for the fist on his collar. Jack just shook his head in amusement at the sight and with a swing he threw the teen across the room. Robin skidded and rolled to almost the centre, near the dead bird and photos and landed on his back. The topsy-turvy motions did not help with his aching head and he found his consciousness was not cooperating with him. Groaning from the extra bruises that would appear next day, he closed his eyes to stop the building from spinning on him and struggled to at least get up on his elbows. But a sudden weight on his thighs glued his legs to the floor.

As his head was just starting to calm down on him, he felt his right hand held and guided above him on the floor despite the shoulder pain. Smaller fingers lace with larger ones. Something making circles on his stomach that felt very much shaped like a hand. It gently caressed him there, his stomach waving up and down in sync with his breathing. Though his mask made him look wide awake, the eyes behind them still struggled to open and let in light that would making his pounding headache even bigger.

And that hand was getting too comfortable…

"Don't worry, little one," A voice whispered, "I'll make you feel much better."

The hand that was becoming far too privy with his stomach trailed further down, down, down…

Robin gasped, feeling warm skin brushing between his legs. Eyes shot open instantly by the touch and saw that it was Tom straddling his legs. His left hand already clawed at the red glove. The teen's other arm couldn't get the right leverage to push the obstructing hand binding it off. "Get, y—your damn, hands off m—me! Get, get off 'a me!!" Robin yelled as loud as he could, words slurring slightly from the cranial impact. No matter how hard he pushed and shoved at the assailant's chest, his strength didn't return enough to give him a good chance to succeed.

Fingers that stroked his privates trailed upwards, past his stomach and up his chest as it detoured to the left to where a tiny lump should be. Then they continued upward, up his neck, around his cheek all the while being careful to not get bitten by the still cursing boy. Finally it reached his mask and wrapped around his face covering his eyes. Now darkness covered the teen's vision whether he wanted it or not.

"Shhh little Redbreast, I just want another taste…" Tom whispered and worked his manipulations.

This time, Tom saw the boy shaking against the wind blowing behind the Fear door in the long hallway. Like the last autumn leaf resisting the unforgiving gales to separate it from its foundation of the tree, it was such a delicate sight he loved to be witness of. And he felt his mind's stomach filling with the delicious aroma the boy emitted. Tom walked towards Robin, who had yet to notice his presence. Once more he walked behind the boy, placing his hands on the small yet sturdy shoulders. This time though, he let his hands reach a little bit lower for a little more exploration.

The boy rocked back and forth ever so slightly from the touch—a sign of resistance to come. His playmate was starting to become aware of the intruder in his mind. But the cold was unforgiving and limited Robin's movements even as Tom bent down to rest his chin on his shoulder.

"I think," Tom started, his lips grazing an earlobe as he spoke, "you've been brave for far too long, little one." A finger stroked the light blue skin around one of the right eye of the mask.

Robin turned his head away from the breath against his ear. "Go away…" The voice was so quiet Tom almost missed it despite being ear to ear with the boy. It was certainly not the gallant voice he heard before. If Tom didn't know any better, he would have surmised that someone already did a number on the kid mentally before him. Which was a shame, he clucked to himself—he wanted to be the first. Whatever or whoever it was that left the scars and bruises, left him more docile in this realm.

But that mystery had to wait. Thomas released the still shuddering teen, and stepped up to the door of Fear. This time he swung the door wide, letting the damp cold waltz its way in. Then he moved down the hallway and one by one opened a door he approved of. Distress, Shame, Loneliness, Nervousness, Despair, Panic… Some of these doors were already open he just helped to widen them. Any open door he came across as detrimental, like the reopened Bravery, Anger, Hope… were casually closed. Soon the warm air in the hallway was overtaken by the chill, making Robin shiver harder…

All of a sudden, Robin's struggles and breaths stopped. His body shook as it was swayed by overwhelming emotions cascading on him at the same time. Lips trembled to release words lodged in his throat. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong and the teen wanted this to stop so much. His resistance started again, but only a shadow to the fierce fight he gave just a moment ago. "Stop," he whispered, "let me go…" It sounded so pitiful to his ears. But despite his sudden cowardice, Robin had the scrap of level-headedness to wonder where his resolve went when he needed it most.

Tom looked down on the more subdued bundle underneath him, feeding on the other's wave of shame and fear. He hadn't had such heavy alcohol of emotions in such a long time. "Aren't you feeling much better now, sweetie?" he said with a wide smile. He leaned down letting his exhales of air roll off his victim's face.

"No…NO! STOP!!" Panic overwhelmed him and Robin sparked his continuing resistance with the fire of desperation. "Leave me alone! Please!" He tried to lift his legs again but the man had them squarely pinned. Squirms to rid the weight only seemed to fuel the predator's desires. Weakly his free hand pounded on the arm sealing his eyes but nothing budged. His heart pounded against his skin, screaming for the only free appendage to do something, anything!

And the hand did listen, clawing from the restraining arm to the ground as he felt another wave of distress overwhelm him. Groping along to reach the utility belt, Robin caught something in his hand. The shape of the item let him hold a firm grip, and that little piece of level-headedness told him it was his birdarang. However the panic returned, making his arm swing wildly. Blindly punched air, he managed a successful stab with the wing of the projectile into the oppressor's upper arm.

Tom noticed too late that the Titan had a weapon on his hand. He yelped out in pain, losing his grip on the boy yet still able to keep his balance on him.

Robin lifted his arm to strike once more, but something hard knocked his hand onto the unforgiving steel floor. Upon impact, the hardness pushed and twisted down upon flesh metal. The Titan screamed as he felt the blade and crushing of the metal cut deep into his palm. His hand was being sandwiched, with blood as condiment. He unwound his eyes to see above, to the sight of Jack with the heel of his boot mangling his hand.

"Very wrong move, boy." Jack snarled, still twisting his heel.

The Titan's other hand reached out to try and push the foot off but Tom recovered too fast. Younger brother took control of the teen. Anger mounted inside his chest, encouraging him to back-hand Robin across the face. A short, piercing cry answered him then silence. The boy's voice shut temporarily by the sting but soon returned with vigorous protest.

Jack moved to crouch down closer to their victim, but a sudden crack to his head flung him to the side.

"What the hell—?!" Tom looked up at his injured brother and his surroundings, not seeing any one else besides the three. "Who's there?!" He sneered, letting his mind search out for an intruder, and sure enough, he felt there was another presence among them. Before he could react to it, something feeling strangely like knuckles drilled him in the cheek with such force he flew sideways next to his sibling.

With the weight off his body, Robin cradled his injured hand and rolled to his side. Shaking legs curled themselves towards his chest on reflex. He didn't take the chance to look about to see what was going on, rather, he was preoccupied with whatever he was feeling had slowly started to dwindle.

Tom and Jack gathered enough composure to stand up. They looked about but there was still nothing, but they knew someone was there because they could feel it. "Whoever you are, you have messed with the wrong people." Jack muttered. Silence was all they got and it was all right with them. The more time they got, the more time Tom had to reach out mentally for the culprit.

However, they didn't get the chance.

Six streaks of red light emerged out of thin air above Robin, striking at the brothers. The two men dodged them swiftly as the red attacks pierced themselves on the pile of crates behind them. Jack noted the shape of the shuriken-like projectiles peculiar form of an X.

"Jack," Tom walked up to his brother, "we don't need to waste time with a third party. I've tagged the bird already." He clutched his upper arm where he was stabbed. The flow of blood stopped and it seemed it wasn't as serious as it looked.

"Fine," Jack answered, "we have tomorrow anyway. And," he smirked to his sibling, "probably better to let the situation sink in… for all those involved." He kept his eyes at the origin of the projectiles, like he could see the intruder which he knew he couldn't. "Can you tell where our mystery guest is?"

Tom scanned the building. Though his eyes couldn't see anything, his mind clawed itself to his right of the room. "Right side… and seems pissed about something."

Jack snorted, "Like we haven't pissed the world off already." Smiling at the thought, the crates behind them started to shake and the X-projectiles unattached themselves. He turned to his right, gesturing a mock salute to whoever it was standing there. In synch with his movements, the crates, projectiles and junk vaulted to the "empty" right of the room.

The red projectiles sliced through the air and hit the ground, but crate smashed into something in midair. A faint grunt of air exhaled notifying the two brothers there indeed was someone physically there. And that's all they needed to know before they backed away to the front exit like nothing was happening besides the rain of debris inside.

The entity leapt out of range to the middle of the room while trying to avoid getting hit again. Once the barrage stopped, the entity looked about the surroundings, only to discover the two men disappeared during the distraction.

"Just great." With a flick of a switch, Red X materialized with one hand massaging the back shoulder that took the brunt of the hit. The suit managed to absorb the shock of the impact, but he'd feel sore for a while. Luckily, there wasn't anything torn either. Just how they knew where he was didn't go well with him. He knew the makeshift belt may be amateur for some, there was no doubt it wasn't that bad of a job. The little trick those two had of throwing things without being thrown was also a question marker in his head.

A mumbles fished his thoughts from introspection. Red X walked over and crouched over the teen he just saved. Again.

Robin managed to push himself on one elbow while his uninjured hand tried to pull himself up. He still felt dizzy and ached all over. His heartbeat returned to normal rhythms but he felt bit confused with his surroundings.

Eyeing the suit's previous owner, X shook his head at the sight of cuts and torn costume. "You really have a natural talent in getting yourself into needless trouble, kid."

Boy Wonder stopped his movements, only turning his head to the owner of that voice he recognized, "You?!" He slumped back down to the ground and reached his temple as the headache grew from turning too fast. "Why did you… I mean, where did you…?" Unable to expel the last bit of words, Robin dropped his head to the floor before the room spun faster.

"I was in the neighbourhood. And an explosion that big, which I'm guessing you've caused, is hard not to notice." Like what he'd always receive when they first met, X waited for the retort.

""In the neighbourhood?' What, are you stalking me now?" Robin countered, making his voice full and strong as possible.

X smirked, "You wish. No, I'm here strictly on business." Quietly, he stared at the body in front of him. All in all, the view before him was pathetic. The Titan's costume didn't fare so well as his own. Although the cuts weren't deep enough to be of serious concern, dark stains on his tunic made it look worse than it was. There wasn't anything that could be detrimental to promote lethargic movements like this. Perhaps the left hand could have been in better shape as shards of metal stuck in the palm, but he knew the kid could take whatever beating he received judging from their last encounter. Maybe it had something to do with how the kid kept massaging his head.

"Business?" Robin replied, "Another five-finger shopping spree?" He groaned inwards; even he thought that was a lame line. But he wasn't given time to think, which in on itself was strange since he never needed to think before announcing his one-liners. Lying still on his back, mask turned away from the one who had possibly saved him from…well, he didn't want to think that far.

The thief ignored the brush off, as easy as it was. More out of curiosity than concern, which he wouldn't acknowledge of course, he stretched his hand to the other's forehead. "Even when you're half-conscious you manage to spew the same, cheesy tripe." A finger or two brushed against the sweat-lined temple. Maybe he was just sick and had a fever. "I have to admit, kid, getting raped was the last thing I've ever conceived you would get yourself into."

Robin slapped the hand away, "I was not being----!……" He couldn't even get himself to say the word. "Just… go." The demand was so tired, so preoccupied. Bringing his injured hand close to his torso, he tried again to lift himself off the ground.

X stood up, giving the Titan some room. In the corner of his eye, he noticed a box and pieces of paper lying nearby. Curiosity nipping his brain, he side stepped over, peering down at the items to see that the papers where photos. One by one he picked each up as suppressed, discomforted moans emitted in the background. He looked through the photos, and the envelope, and the box.

And he stared again from the dead bird he recognized the species of, to the envelope, to the photos in a loop. Skull eyes drifted back and forth from injured Robin to dead robin.

The connection was so blatant a five year old would understand.

He stuffed the photos back into the envelope, pocketing the items into his belt and headed back towards Robin whose back was turned to him. Stand with arms crossed, he witnessed someone who certainly didn't move gracefully like whom he teamed up with that night. Robin was finally able to reach a sitting position, but still looked unstable when it came to balance. "Look," the digitally altered voice resonated in a tone uncharacteristically absent of sarcasm, "I've already wasted my time to find you and your friends for something I should have ignored." X reached underneath to the other's armpits and pulled him up to his feet. "I'm just here to leave a message and disappear."

"Then leave it and go!" Robin shouted, pulling himself away from helping hands. Free from support, he realized his body could handle standing but his mind wasn't. Metal clad boots faltered in their steps and almost fell over if not for a hand seizing his arm.

He didn't want to deal or think about thievery or gang fights or whatever the hell Red X wanted to say—not right now. He just wanted to be alone! Away from the witness to what he knew was a less than stellar heroic demeanour. He didn't want to be helped like this! This was the last thing he needed: that a criminal would find him and even pity him at a time he was feeling much too……

Vulnerable.

He despised that word so much.

"I can't do that—not here anyways." Red X steadied the other's balance even if it was unwanted. "First of all, it's this isn't the place to share my info." He ignored the struggles and placed one arm with the uninjured hand drape over his shoulders as he wrapped a grey glove around Robin's waist. "And second, if your friends find out I was here with you, they'd either hunt me down for leaving you as you are, or think that I assaulted you."

Once those words sunk in, the resistance stopped. The thief was half surprised and half eased. The kid wasn't as stubborn as he thought. With measured steps, they headed out the front exit.

The two moved towards the nearest residential area in silence. They would have arrived faster if travelling by rooftop but the burden the younger teen's injuries didn't allow much leeway for swift movement.

Passing the fence and down the street riddled with cracks, the area seemed like a ghost town. The farther away it was from the main city, the more lifeless the outer rim of buildings seemed to get. Wind blew around years old newspapers and broken shards of glass bottles littered the road and sidewalk.

In the beginning, Robin willed his body to keep all his weight to himself. Except he seemed to, or wanted to, nod off once in a while. Thus little by little, his weight shifted over to the taller thief whether he realized it or not. His legs moved in rhythm with the other, but his mind floated to be elsewhere.

Once in a while X would glance over to the boy he made up in his mind was younger than him judging from his immature maturity. And that image became more vivid as the Titan seemed smaller than what he remembered, or maybe childish was the right word. What he understood well was whatever happened back at the factory, it took a big toll. But he had witnessed this type of reaction before too many times from his past experience to be flustered, and didn't think of asking anything of it. After all, it was none of his business.

"Are you planning to ferry me all the way back to the Tower?"

The sound of Robin's voice cut through a train of thoughts Red X didn't realize he was contemplating. He turned his head, but only met with a mound of wild, black hair. An answer to that simple question seemed strangely difficult. The only thing he noticed was the Titan's voice was revived almost back to normal, wise-ass tone. "Is that a request?"

A question to answer a question was something Robin disliked. It always kept him on the defensive. Although he would find himself yearning to be lying in his bed under the warmth of his white covers, he was feeling better mind-wise. His body however, began to feel the full extent of his injuries. Aches and stiffness saturated muscles and he bet he didn't look as pleasant either. "No, I'm just questioning your motives." He lifted his head to see the criminal in the eye for the first time since their second encounter, "I severely doubt you're helping me out of the kindness of your heart. You want something." The voice of the authoritarian was back.

It was a straightforward statement, and something that X very much expected from the Boy Scout. But somehow, for some reason, it grated on him. The tone and the twist of a blindsiding accusation set off a nerve. Perchance it was because he actually came to share information that was for once in a long time, not for selfish reasons—or because Jerk Wonder's righteousness can be very nauseating. "After all that I've done to save your ass, twice. Didn't your parents teach you how to show gratitude, kid?" Despite his wording, his voice sounded corrosive than mockery.

Robin sneered, vexing to get his arm on the thief's shoulder back. "Stop calling me 'kid'!" That label irked him then and it certainly did now. Too many years of training were spent to climb up that latter to be insulted like this. "And I didn't ask for, nor do I need your help." He spat it out as if the notion of the idea was poison.

And Red X caught that suggestion of disgust. "Fine." Without a second's thought, he threw the Titan's arm off his shoulder and shoved him aside. He didn't flinch as the boy fell hard on the concrete. "Walk on your own, kid."

The abrupt move caught Robin off guard and he fell off from the sidewalk to the empty street. His right elbow earned another scrape as it took a direct hit on the pavement. But not one sound of pain escaped his lips; his voice was blocked by surprise.

That wasn't supposed to happen, like how a lot of things weren't supposed to happen recently.

He should have been the one to push away the criminal, not the other way around.
He shouldn't have fallen but he did.
He shouldn't have been overpowered but he was.
He should have taken better care of his responsibilities over the Red X persona.
He shouldn't have let that chemical powder manipulate him to the point of self-mutilation and—

And why the hell was he heaving this repulsive amount of angst on himself?!

His memories recalled what he thought happened in the factory, the movements of that bastard's hand on his body. That cold drift of air never left him as it should have.

Pulling at his brain was his left hand still encrusted with metal, starting to throb as if pain decided just this moment to work its bittersweet magic. Robin looked down at his injured hand distracting him from thinking; the green glove turned black almost to the wrist. Spotting the shadow that had yet to move, he dared to look up, meeting the other mask to mask. Neither could read what was in each other's eyes, and neither said a word for the longest time.

Though the Titan's mouth displayed clenched teeth, the thief wasn't sure if it matched the expression in his eyes.

And what of it? The kid was being a stuck-up brat. X had no regret about his action he committed a moment ago. It didn't matter who it was: if they irritated him, he'd make it known. However, it wasn't his own actions he was piqued over.

It was Robin's.

It was the lack of action from the only one who bested him in his own game.

The Boy Wonder should have jumped up to his feet no matter what state his body was in and return the rough behaviour back. But he just laid there on the ground. Something was weighing the younger teen down, and it was becoming clearer to his intuition that it just might be something more than what happened today.

And thought back to when they first met, to when he was behind bars while the Titan lectured him on heroism versus selfishness. There was a certain weight dragging out those words too. He assumed it was simply guilt over the suit being stolen.

Perhaps it was…

But he didn't get to finish that thought.

A green bolt of light erupted between him and Robin, throwing him on his back from the pulsating impact.

"Robin!"

The Titan's leader looked up to see Starfire with her illuminated fists and a green swift almost diving at him.

Starfire landed right beside her battered friend and helped him to a sitting position while the swift bird decelerated and morphed into Beast Boy a few feet away. Alien's eyes winced as she noticed the blood soaked glove, but the sum of the damage to his body was not as serious. "Robin, are you able to move? When your communication with us terminated so abruptly I feared we may have been too late…"

The changeling stood between the two and Red X, who was recovering from the attack. His head turned over his shoulder to see if Robin was alright, and to see the extent of his injuries. "You have some guts to show yourself like this head on." Beast Boy turned to the thief.

X got to his knees and pushed himself up whilst massaging the back of his head. He found himself facing a green boy turning into a cheetah. "Hey, I'm not here to make trouble." He raised his hands to emphasize the point.

"Lies!" Steadily, Starfire helped Robin up to his feet, though he stood sturdier than before. "We have witnessed you pushing Robin down! You have caused his injuries have you not?" Her eyes glowed in growing anger.

"No!" X looked from the princess to the smote hole where the warning shot hit. He didn't want to see what results would happen if energy blasts landed on him.

Robin stood standing up on his own with only his uninjured hand resting on Star's shoulder while he subtly shifted her hands fall off his torso. He showed enough weakness for one day. "It's okay Star, Beast Boy."

The beautifully spotted cheetah turned to him in confusion, with Starfire showing the same puzzlement.

"I guess I didn't know the full extent of my injuries. My knee buckled and I fell." Robin eyed Red X. "He was trying to catch me before I hit the ground"

The thief returned the stare, letting his arms slowly drop to his sides.

Beast Boy turned from leader to outlaw, "So… you were helping him?"

The metallic voice answered while the skull still fixed at the gaze, "…yeah."

Starfire looked back and forth between the two like the changeling, but rested her eyes on the boy beside her. "Robin, is this true?" After seconds passed, Boy Wonder nodded once. She turned to X again, this time, without the glowing eyes of wrath. "I apologize for my pre-emptive accusation, Red X." She glanced at the teen next to her, wincing again at his hand before she added, "Thank you."

"Yeah," Beast Boy started, "only, why are you here? And what the hell happened?"

Before an answer could sprout, Robin interrupted. "Can that wait until we all get back to the Tower before my hand turns completely numb?" A tint of humour embedded in his tone, maybe tying to crack the rigid air.

Beast Boy eyed his leader, "All of us? You mean including him?" He inquired, pointing at the person in question.

"Apparently, he has something he wants to share with us, right?" At this point, no one would have ever guessed Robin had gone through anything remotely traumatic from his voice and body language.

"…right." Red X kept his answers short.

"Then," Starfire started to approach him after making sure Robin was stable on his own, "Beast Boy shall carry Robin since he can support the injuries without straining them efficiently, while I shall carry you." She floated around and above X and lowered her arms.

Already Beast Boy evolved into a pterodactyl and crouched low enough to let Robin crawl on his back without stretching too much. Red X looked up to her with an eyebrow raised behind his mask. Seeing as there was no choice, he sighed and lifted his arms and took gripped the alien's upper arms as Star did the same to his. In one bound all four were airborne, heading towards Titan's Tower.

This was the first time the thief flown like this, and he was rather enjoying it. Flight truly was a higher sense of freedom. The beating of wings reached his ears and he turned over his shoulder to see the reptile in the air carrying his passenger.

Robin and Red X stared eye to eye again, before both broke it off to avoid straining their necks.

The sun stained the city red in its descent towards the western horizon in the cloudless sky. It was a beautiful dusk to end a beautiful day.

But true beauty does not come about without suffering.

That was unnecessarily long. I was concerned with the Red X/Robin interaction, trying my best to make them in character when they're thrust into new situations. Does this smell of RedxRobin? :)

Some of the quotes in italic in this and previous chapters were not made by me (though I altered one quote by Jack to fit with the flow of the speech) but are from nursery rhymes. The prominant rhyme for this chapter is "Once I Saw a Little Bird":

Once I saw a little bird
Come hop, hop, hop.
And I cried, "Little bird,
Will you stop, stop, stop?"

I was going to the window
To say, "How do you do?"
When he shook his little tail
And away he flew.

And now you know :)
-Art of Silence