Disclaimer: I own nadda.
Chapter 13
His heart was still thumping wildly in his chest as the memory of those glowing red bars came swirling into view. He shivered silently at the darkness that was slowly permeating his thoughts as he struggled to mask his emotions. Truthfully, his nerves had been more than just rattled recently, and he would be trying for some time to forget about this.
An image of Robin rolling on the floor in agony rose unbidden in his mind, and he tried to push it back, but it seemed determined to make its presence known. Pain and sympathy flooded his heart and mind as he watched the scene unfold once more, with the ever-present question as to what was the cause constantly flirting with his mind.
He glanced nervously at the Boy Wonder, hoping he did not seem weak. But Robin's attention was elsewhere; he didn't seem to be paying attention to him, or anything else for that matter. His breathing was coming in shallow gasps and his mouth was working furiosly for air as his body gave an involuntary jerk and he fell to the ground, having finally succombed to the unconsciousness.
"Whoa, BB," Cyborg said, and he felt a firm hand on his shaking shoulders, The fear and discomfort must have been showing in his eyes, for the older boy's tone had switched to that of a big brother. "It's fine. He's just exhaused and wiped out from everything that's happened. You'd be tired too," the metal man continued.
He opened his mouth to tell Cyborg what he had seen, but thought better of it, shaking his head. If only that was truly the reason, but he knew better. He'd seen the glowing red bottle, seen the violent reactions to its contents... No, if they didn't get Robin to a medical ward soon, they might lose him and he would never forgive himself. For all they knew, the stuff was lethal.
With a grunt, he became a horse, allowing Cyborg to lay the unconscious figures across his back. Maintaining his balance to the best of his ability, he let them fall gently to the floor in the T-car, himself eagerly taking the front seat. "Come on, Cy. Step on it! We've got to get everybody back to the Tower!"
Without hesitation, Cyborg's foot pressed the acceleration as Beast Boy looked back to make sure that the passengers were not too jostled. His ears burned when he realized that he had placed Robin next to Raven.
His eyes opened, and he gave a slight grunt. The first thing he was aware of was the sensation of moving, which panicked him for a moment, for his head was lolling from side to side, but he calmed down when he realized that he was lying on the floor of the T-car. He tried to sit up, but it was all he could do to prop himself up with one arm, and he let himself fall back down.
To his left, he saw a peaceful face, her skin its slightly grey tone and her expression one of complete peace and tranquility, as always. She looked so elegant with her short hair framing her face as she was oblivious to the turmoil around her in her own world. He reached up to run his fingers over her face, but a small cough from the front seat told him that another pair of eyes was watching.
Turning to his right, his gaze fell upon red hair and tan skin. He thought to himself how lovely she looked, then noticed that her emerald eyes were opening, and his heart jumped with surprise and anticipation.
The first thing he noticed was how broken he looked in her eyes, how completely uncharacteristic of his normally confident self he seemed. The second thing he noticed was her eyes themselves. They were swimming pools of the purest green color in which he was easily entranced, and he forgot his own appearanced for a moment.
"Hello, Robin," she muttered dreamily, and he hardly cared that a large purple gash was forming under her left eye and blocking his view, he was now entranced in her melodious voice. Was it possible to fall in love twice in two minutes?
"Hey," he muttered back, faintly noting that there was no disapproving cough from the front seat this time.
Her brow furrowed with concern, for this was the first time that she had seen him since his capture. "It is wonderful to see that you are no longer a captive of our enemies, but you do not seem to be doing the feeling well."
With a slight chuckle, he replied, "You don't look so good yourself. Took a few hits, didn't you?"
She laughed softly and his heart raced. She propped her head up with one hand as she gazed at him. "You do not know the halving of it," she said, almost mastering another earthly phrase, but not quite. He noted that she seemed to be avoiding the subject.
He sighed contentedly. She was flirting with him, and he knew it, but he so loved this feeling of being- well- loved. As he placed his arms behind his head confortably, he replied, "Tell you what. I'll go to the stupid hostpital if you will too. That's the best offer you'll get in a million years." It was a true statement. He hated the helpless feeling that hospitals gave him.
Giggling slightly, she replied, "Of course. Robin, you are so much the fun to talk to."
He had no time to be happy with himself, or to blush for that matter, though, for although he had meant to grin cockily, a new wave of pain had hit him, this one unfamiliar to him. It felt as if his insides were trying to break through, and something was caught in his throat. Jerking upright, he began to cough violently, his entire body shaking with each breath.
Her eyes widened in concern that filled her voice. "Robin?" She looked up at Cyborg. "Friend Cyborg, perhaps now would be a good time for the stepping on it?"
He shook his head. No, that wouldn't do him much good. He needed something else. "Pull over!" he croaked.
"Okay. You're sure you're alright, man?" Cyborg asked, even as he obeyed the command.
Without answering, he wrenched the door open and jumped out onto the street, not caring that he was getting some very scared and worried looks from the citizens on the street. Almost on auto-pilot, he took a moment to regain his balance and make the world stop spinning so much, then ran and ducked into a side alley.
Once he was out of sight, he sank to his knees and dispelled any contents his stomach might have retained. All he saw was red. He couldn't get the image out of his head; when he had coughed, a red subtstance had been on his hands when he had pulled them away from his mouth, and not all of it had been xinothium. There was blood mixed in there as well.
He was faintly aware that he was kneeling in the blood and xinothium that he had coughed up and he realized sadly that this would make a hospital trip absolute, no escaping it. But he could do nothing for it, for he was still hunched over, coughing violently as footsteps approached.
He heard their gasps; he didn't care any more. He wanted this xinothium out of his body, didn't he? His body was doing a pretty good job of it so far, though he didn't exactly enjoy the after effects. A voice he would later identify as Beast Boy's shouted, "Dude, what happened?"
"Robin?" whispered a feminine voice that was obviously Starfire's.
"Yo, Robin, is that xinothium?" Cyborg asked, his comment was then followed by a chorus of gasps from the others, and Robin winced at all the attention.
"What has happened to you?" Starfire asked, and he felt a gentle hand caress his cheek. He wished that he could see once more. All he could see was this cursed red color! He wanted to look into those pools of green, no doubt now filled with tears of worry, and to tell her that everything was alright.
Beast Boy spoke up. "It might have been that stuff they gave him back at the lair," he squeaked, and the words rang in Robin's ears. He knew? What else did the boy know that he didn't know about?
"Star, I think now would be an excellent time for the stepping on it," Cyborg said, half-laughing, though his worry dominated.
He felt two pairs of arms beneath his own, dragging him backwards along the ground. He was faintly aware of several gasping citizens and he felt many more hands beneath his back.
"What happened?"
"Who did this?"
"Is he going to be okay?"
"What's going on?"
"Does this mean that we're not safe anymore?"
Starfire held her hands up to stop the flood of questions, though he did not see it. "Please, do not crowd him. We must get him to safety."
He had never felt so grateful to her. Part of him wanted to tell them to just put him down, but his physical needs overrode his pride. It really hurt him, though to be so weak in public.
Another coughing fit overcame him and his body convulsed, wrenching out of Beast Boy and Starfire's grasps. He felt his head hit the pavement, but he hardly registered the pain. His ears were still working, though, because he kept hearing the concerned murmurs of a crowd. Oh, would the newspapers get a kick out of this one, he thought sarcastically.
"Pumme down!" he managed to say as he felt hands beneath his arms once more. He waved his arms in the general direction of the people, signalling that they should stay away until he had managed to control his coughing.
"Robin?" asked a tiny voice, and he felt small hands on his mask. "Is you gonna be okay?"
He smiled wryly. "Thinkso," he breathed, and he now wished desperately that he could see who the little girl was.
"Don't leave us, Mr. Robin. We need you," she said, and his heart felt like it was soaring.
"Gotcha," he breathed, though he could see the blackness creeping in on that dumb red color!
"Perhaps I should take him now," Starfire said, and he felt strong arms lift him to his feet. He wished he could see, smile, something, but his world was spinning. "I shall fly him to the Tower, for I am much faster than the T-car, and I do not wish for you to harm any pedestrians with your speed," she said sweetly.
He was aware that his feet had left the ground, and his stomach lurched at the sensation. It was pure joy, flying, but he could harldy enjoy flying in circles, or at least that's how he felt. Then he felt warm tears dripping onto his cheeks and Starfire sobbed, "Do not leave me either, Robin."
Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere for a while. Just don't leave me, okay? he thought as darkness crept in around the corners of his mind, though this time he did not fight it. It would be nice to wake up in her arms anyway.