Cyanocitta

Thank you to those who reviewed, favorite'd, or followed the story! (and even gave suggestions, I think I can definitely use those!)

iii. defenses up

The night had never seemed so slow. Starfire had not been able to go to sleep once. The thought of not knowing what was happening to her friends was too distressing for her to sleep peacefully. There was the matter of no electricity. No electricity meant no heat, and though winter was ending, it was still quite cold. Of course, being in a criminal's home did not exactly ease her troubled mind either. Though Red X, who she heard walking around the apartment through most of the night, must have noted how she was hugging herself and placed a blanket over her. He also changed her bandages - her fist had been curled, ready to smack him in the jaw if he tried anything, but almost to her surprise, he did nothing. Despite this display of kindness, she by no means did not feel comfortable around him.

She didn't know how long it was before she finally heard Red X stop his pacing. She assumed he finally went to sleep. It felt like forever - but time passed more slowly when she was without her friends.

She opened her eyes, deciding to explore his apartment while he was asleep. It wasn't too dark, looking out the window she saw the black of night slowly revolve into a lighter blue. Starfire frowned, pulling the blanket tighter around her. Perhaps she shouldn't be too concerned over a thief, but she still couldn't help but worry. Did Red X not get much sleep at night? That was not good for his health.

On the bright side, however, she was feeling much better. She tried various methods of getting the collar off of her, but it would not budge. It wasn't made out of anything that was remotely similar to any Earth or Tamaran material she had encountered. She figured that she might be able to find something in his apartment that could help her - she did not know what, but she had certainly surprised her friends before.

The apartment was not very clean, and was cramped. She hadn't gotten a good look at it yesterday. The redhead walked into his kitchen, seeing that it was narrow and unsurprisingly bare - with the exception of an ashtray on the counter and a few loaves of tightly wrapped bread in the corner. There was also a book on the counter that appeared very loved. Looking at the book, she saw that it was titled The Divine Comedy. She flipped through the pages, but as her eyes skimmed the words, she quickly realized there was nothing about this book that was amusing. If anything, it appeared to be quite depressing. She placed the book down, not wanting him to lose his place, despite her assumption that he had read it quite a few times. Starfire would never have pegged him as a reader.

It was none of her business, really, but she felt curiosity biting at her. Starfire knew nothing about Red X, and while he was sleeping was the perfect time to get a sense of who he was - or at least, what he liked to eat. Perhaps they could find a common ground with the delightful beverage known as mustard? It wasn't like she had anything else to do other than be preoccupied with her worry. If she stepped outside like this, someone would recognize her. She didn't doubt that Blackfire would overturn every nook and cranny before she found her. And then what could she do? Starfire was of no use to her friends captured along with them.

She looked through his cabinets, not seeing much out of the ordinary. He had chipped glasses, cracked china plates, and an assortment of out-of-date spices. Looking through his drawers, there was not much - weapons he must have accrued somewhere, and one contained a manila folder. Taking out the folder, she saw that there were recipes inside.

Starfire couldn't help but giggle. The thought of Red X cooking - she glanced at the recipe at the top of the stack - chili dogs made her laugh. She supposed she had no room to talk for his apparently odd diet of chili dogs and bread, considering her own alien appetite.

She forced herself to quiet her giggles, as she didn't know how Red X would like her snooping through his kitchen. She pried open the freezer first, to see a few tubs of neapolitan ice cream lying there. There was nothing else that was too extraordinary to note, except there was no mystery blue fuzz covering everything, unlike the Titans' freezer.

She opened his fridge next to see that he had some typical stuff in there; milk, eggs, cold cuts, and other miscellaneous things. She saw that there was something behind the half empty carton of milk, and she took the carton out of the fridge to see what it was. She covered her mouth and fought down more laughter as she saw that there were more loaves of bread in the back. Starfire never put any thought into Red X's diet, but if she had, she would not have expected he was a bread kind of guy.

"Having fun?"

"Eep!" Startled, she jolted backwards, letting go of the milk carton as she did so. Though Red X made a motion to catch the carton, he was too far away, and it splashed everywhere. She flushed, uttering an apology as she looked around for a washcloth to clean it up. The masked thief grabbed a towel and mopped it up, throwing out the soggy ones once the milk was gone.

"I-" She stuttered, unable to meet him in the eye. It was like she was a child getting caught having their dessert before dinner. Fidgeting, she mumbled another apology, "I am sorry."

"Don't be, honey," He stated, and after a moment of silence he asked, "Couldn't sleep, huh?"

"No...I am worried for my friends. I feel lost when I am not with them. I wish to know if they are alright," Starfire glanced up at him, immediately fixating her eyes on the floor. The kitchen was rather narrow - though he was leaning against the opposite counter, they were quite close to each other. "I also feel worry that I shall be harmed again by this unpleasant necklace."

"Though it's alien technology, I bet even it has a range. Does your sister have nothing better to do than to play around with that dial?" Well, Starfire didn't doubt it. She said nothing in response, hoping that he was right.

There was a moment of silence before Red X asked, "Are you hungry? Is that why you were looking through my kitchen?" Starfire felt her cheeks heat up as she kept her gaze to the floor. "The floor can't appreciate how beautiful you are, you know." By placing his finger underneath her chin, he lifted her face so their eyes met. Well, where his eyes were, beneath the mask.

Her face burned, and her heart quickened. It was much like how she felt around Robin, but she was more nervous - and less happy. Starfire didn't know him like she knew Robin. Though Red X was a thief and far from her friend, he was still a person. He saved her from Blackfire, and helped prevent her burns from getting worse. He had some good in there. His hand left her face, crossing his arms and saying, "Well, sweetheart? You just going to stare at me all day?"

She blinked. "O-Oh, I am sorry. Perhaps food will allow us to do the clearing of the heads."

"The electricity is still out, but we might be able to get something off the streets," He stated, noting her odd reaction to his statement. "I know where to steal."

"I shall not!" She shouted, as he walked into what she supposed was his room. She was about to follow him in there when the door shut behind him. "Zorrgnarg!" She huffed, crossing her arms. Before she could do anything, the door opened back up with Red X holding a hoodie out to her.

"Put this on and keep the hood up," He demanded, "And stay close to me." As an afterthought, he added, "One more thing - try to remain quiet." She looked at him quizzically, and he answered her unspoken question, "The moment you open your mouth, you'll identify yourself." Her accent was quite distinguishing, after all.

Hesitantly, she nodded. She could try to remain quiet. She pulled the hoodie over her head, inhaling the smell of smoke as she did so. She coughed, pulling the hood over her head. It definitely hid her face and concealed her inhibitor collar, but she did not like wearing his clothes. "I do not think you understand: I will not commit any criminal activities today, or any day!"

"I don't have any money to spare on me, do you?"

"Perhaps if we were to try asking nicely..." The thought of stealing rubbed her the wrong way. The thought of stealing using Robin's technology made her feel even worse. Starfire knew how he beat himself up about Red X, and she did not want to contribute to that.

"Tell you what: if you help me in getting breakfast, I'll help you investigate the city and see what we can find out about your friends. The invasion must have some weakness, and I know this part of Jump better than you do," He offered his hand to her. "Do we have a deal, sweetheart?"

She did not take his hand, but nodded anyways. "If this is our only choice, then I suppose there is nothing else I can do." Starfire followed Red X out into the slums, and was surprised at what she saw.

He must have noted her expression, because he said, "I told you that Jump was in anarchy."

Without the Titans, and without electricity, the city was chaotic. She saw many familiar criminals running around with bags of what she supposed was money. Nothing was stopping them, except for the citizens. To Starfire's surprise, many of them were now equipped with weapons that they obviously didn't know how to use. They were firing at the criminals stealing from homes, but the criminals were better equipped at fighting and -

Her first instinct was to scream as she watched a young man being gunned down by a villain. Her eyes glued to the scene, the villain ran off without no remorse, leaving the young man there, drenched in his own blood. She made a motion to run over and help, but Red X held her back. Having her bring attention to herself would not help them, not when Blackfire was out for blood.

Starfire was horrified. There was this type of violence being committed everywhere - the smart people were the ones who stayed indoors. The hopelessness that was thick in the air reminded her of Slade and Terra overtaking the city. She shuddered.

"We have to go, cutie," Red X gently grasped onto her hand and led her away from the scene. This time, she did not pull away from him. Without her powers, she felt vulnerable, and this feeling she did not like. Holding his hand tightly, she moved closer to him and gripped the crook of his elbow with her other hand.

While waiting for his snide remark, Starfire focused her attention on her surroundings. There was sprawling graffiti on every wall they passed, and some of the things they said frightened her. There were wanted posters for her, and it was clear they were being commissioned by Blackfire. She felt something well up in her throat, and she couldn't swallow it away no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't ever remember a place being this bad in Jump. She had to get her friends back, and the process was too unbearably slow for her.

"Could we perhaps skip fasting the break?" She murmured to him, keeping herself close.

"Sure, sweetheart, whatever you want. We'll get right on the intel, then," He said, continuing to walk through the streets. She tried not to flinch when she heard gunshots, but sometimes the shouts and screams of panicked people was too much. It didn't seem Red X was perturbed by it, which made her wonder what kind of life he lived. She wanted to help everyone so desperately, but could not do anything for them. Did he feel the same way, or was he just desensitized to it all?

"I do not wish to be here for long," She whispered, fixating her gaze to the floor. She couldn't just mope about her situation, but at the same time, she wondered if Red X was really trying the best he could to save her friends. He and Robin were not exactly best friends. Why was he helping her, anyway?

While she thought about what the best way to ask him, it appeared that they arrived at their destination. On one of the street corners was an old man wearing a fedora, talking to a few scared citizens. None of the bypassing criminals seemed to give him a second thought. Red X, with Starfire at his side, approached him. The citizens surrounding the old man noted him, and backed away. They still hovered around, giving them both wary looks.

"I'm only here for information, kids."

"Ah...Red X, you have a girlfriend," The old man examined Starfire thoroughly, but before he could say anything else, she instantly let go of Red X and hopped away from him.

"I am not his friend whom is a girl! We do not enjoy recreational activities together, and he does not buy me bountiful floral arrangements!" She snapped defensively, and then shook her head and clarified, "I apologize for making that impression, but we do not have that relation. I am merely scared." What had he just said about her not speaking? Well, he couldn't get mad at her. He simply found it impossible, though he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, hoping that would remind her. A flash of recognition lightened the old man's eyes, but he said nothing.

Red X's expression twitched, though it looked unchanged on the outside. The last time someone had been looking to him for protection was a long time ago. Back when he acted the hero. But why should he be disappointed, anyway? No, he wasn't disappointed. He was fine. He would help Starfire rescue her friends and save the city, and then go back to being a lone wolf. It was how it was supposed to be. After all, who would look out for him if he didn't do it for himself?

The old man chuckled as the thief crossed his arms, "I suppose you're here for information about the Titans, again?"

"Again?" The redheaded alien inquired, but her question went unanswered.

"I suppose that means you have new information," The black-clad thief remarked.

"Turns out it's your lucky day!" The man exclaimed, almost a bit too enthusiastically, "I picked up on an interesting tidbit of information that may or may not pertain to the Titans."

"Talk," Red X demanded, grabbing the old man's collar and pushing him against the wall. Starfire was shocked that he would treat an elder this way. Robin would never do that - though, remembering when they were tracking down Slade...she sighed. If Robin was desperate enough... She shook her head, mentally smacking herself as she once again compared the two. That may have been Robin's suit, but the person in there was not Robin.

"Fine," The man coughed as the thief let go of him. "I hear one of the main buildings of Wayne Enterprises has a back-up generator running." He shrugged, "I don't know if it's true, but if it's anyone that can find a way to fund electricity in this mess, it's Bruce Wayne." Then, he leaned towards the two and put his hand up to his mouth, about to whisper a secret. "You didn't hear it from me, but I've heard that Mr. Wayne is a big fan of the Teen Titans."

"He is one of our -" She gasped, correcting herself quickly, "I do believe he helps fund the Titans tower." Red X looked at her, and could see her eyes from beneath her hood. She was too trusting. This information broker may have appeared nice and sweet, but he was ruthless. Why could Starfire trust the broker so easily, but not him?

The old man continued, "I bet Mr. Wayne doesn't want to see another hero die. Especially after the last Ro-"

"Thanks," Red X cut him off icily, clenching his fists subconsciously, "for the information."

"You're not going to pay an old man for his time?"

"No," He answered curtly, "Your payment is me letting you live."

The old man gave him a smile that showed he had enough, "Very well. I think it's time you learned some manners, spoiled brat." He turned towards Starfire and reached towards her, pulling off her hood. "I was being kind in not exposing you, but you teamed up with the wrong villain."

Starfire was too stunned to react instantly, so instead Red X pulled her hood back over her face. But it wouldn't change the fact that the hovering citizens saw her identity, and one of them made the very dumb mistake of pointing to her and saying, "You're Starfire!"

Some criminals, and some desperate citizens, turned towards the now hooded girl. She felt a hand tighten around her wrist as Red X tugged her towards a direction, urging her to run. He let go of her, and as she ran, she felt her hood fall off. She heard a gunshot, and on instinct she looked back.

Red X was a few paces behind her, embroiled in a fight with one of the people who were after her. Most were down due to his - Robin's - creative gadgets, but Starfire could not believe how many people were chasing her down. Was her sister really that desperate? When she looked in front of her, she was suddenly surrounded.

"They're not going to kill you," She heard Red X shout. Starfire didn't know how he would know that, but he had no reason to lie to her. He didn't want her dead, right? He had helped Robin save them once, after all. Deciding to trust him, she sprinted towards a fire escape she saw, jumping and just barely grabbing onto the bars. Without her super strength, Starfire found it difficult to flip herself around onto the fire escape, but she was able to do it. She did train, after all.

Once on the fire escape, she began to climb as fast as she could. However, as she did so, she heard another gunshot ricochet. A burning sensation sliced through her as she tripped backwards, tumbling down the stairs and coming to a halt once she landed on the floor, all the air pounded out of her. She attempted to stand, but the unbearable fire inside her flared, and she crumpled to her knees. Falling back and extending her legs out in front of her, she examined her wound. She saw that the bullet had managed to graze her leg. She couldn't tell how deep or severe the wound was due to the blood gushing everywhere. It looked bad, but she was no healer.

Her attention flicked back up to the people before her. Though most were wearing orange jumpsuits with numbers stitched on their uniforms, they all had a similar expression: desperation. Even normal citizens were looking out the windows, down at the situation or peeking around corners. It had only been a day, perhaps two at most. What had Blackfire done to her city?!

Suddenly, she felt something bracing her back and felt an arm wrap around her neck. She tensed, but she heard a familiar voice whispering, "Stay calm." Starfire glanced back at Red X, and realized that he was holding her at gunpoint. Despite his words, she struggled against him, but he tightened his grip on her throat.

"I cannot trust you," She hissed in a low voice. Though she had every reason not to, the words weighed him down.

"Come on, sweetheart, cooperate. For your friends and the Boy Wonder," He begged, but he must have saw her glaring viciously at him. "Please," He added, his voice strained. The word felt sour in his mouth. She took a deep breath and relaxed against him, but kept her hands on his forearm to give the impression that they were not allies. Well...they weren't allies. They were just cooperating, for her friends, and for Robin.

"Sorry, kids," The thief was now talking to the people scattered before, and behind him. "She's wanted alive, and if I were to shoot her, that would ruin your chances at collecting that bounty." He removed his arm from her neck and quickly braced her around her stomach, trapping one of her arms. By doing so, his hand slid underneath the hoodie and touched her bare skin. Starfire froze up at the unwanted contact. She squirmed, uneasiness bubbling up in her throat. Blood rushed from her neck to her face, but luckily no one seemed to pay attention to that.

"You're bluffing," One of them said, "You're not going to shoot a young girl in the head."

He took the gun away from her head, tilting his hand so held the gun in a side grip in the typical gangster-killshot fashion. He fired at a criminal, hitting him right in the abdomen. The criminal dropped to the floor, some people approaching him. Most eyes were still on the two.

Starfire gasped as how guiltlessly and quickly he had done the action. How could he hurt someone like that? Robin would never do that. He would never raise a gun against anyone, much less fire it. She felt the gun back on the side of her head.

"I can shoot a man in the stomach, but you don't think I can shoot a girl in the head? The money from the bounty would be nice, but I'd rather not let any of you have it." Red X's voice was cool; composed. She didn't understand how, or what kind of conscience he lacked to be so nonchalant. The criminals murmured amongst themselves, but for the most part they backed off. Red X glanced around and made sure they were not acting. They weren't. He waited until they all dispersed to move.

He let go of her and stood up, holding out his hand to her. She tried to stand on her own, however the wound in her leg made it too painful. She heard him sigh as he bent down and slung her arm around his shoulders, gripping her waist as he lifted her to her feet.

"Thank you..." She murmured, wincing as she limped alongside him. She leaned into him, putting more of her weight into him. How was she supposed to be of any use to her friends like this?

"I told you, sweetheart, I'm your friend."

And for once, Red X had to admit it was nice looking out for someone else.