Cyanocitta

iv. i come alive when i'm falling down

Starfire was staring.

She couldn't help it; she was awestruck. Red X was just a teenager - he couldn't be any older than her or her friends. But, she was awestruck for another reason. She didn't know what caught her attention more; his oddly colored hair, the endearing little spots scattered on his cheeks and nose, or the fact that on the whole, he was awfully handsome. The only things marring his face were a few scars which she gently ran her fingers over. Whatever happened to him had happened with enough time for them to heal. There was a scar on his lower lip, however, that her fingers merely hovered over. They were ragged and looked like they had not been treated properly. What had happened to him?

Grateful he was unconscious, Starfire steadied herself by taking a deep breath, reducing the heat appearing on her cheeks. Gauze in hand, she slowly began to wrap the wound at the back of his head. Most of his hair was black, the exact color of Robin's, but it was not enough to warrant if they were connected somehow. However, the two front pieces of where his part fell were dyed white. Or, at least, she had to assume it was dyed. She did not think such coloring could occur naturally.

She treated him as best as she could, and then maneuvered him so she could hoist him over her shoulder. With some difficulty, she made it back to the car and plopped him into the passenger seat. Starfire made her way over to the crashed ship, her eyes watering at the smoke. She did not see any of the green aliens her sister had summoned here, but she still treaded carefully as she found the hatch, which was broken open. Wishing she had more strength, Starfire was able to fit herself in the space and crawl into the ship.

There was fire and smoke everywhere, but the redheaded Princess wanted to find the control panel to her collar. The fire blazed and nicked at her skin, gnawing at her already sore leg wound. But she was not a quitter. Her people could withstand hostile conditions, and it would be much easier to help Red X - and her friends - with her powers. She stayed low to the ground as the smoke circulated above her head, moving as agile as she could amongst the conflagration.

She found two dead Schlurchs in the cockpit area, and a control panel in front of them. It appeared to simply be the controls for the ship. Dejected, she quickly moved out of the ship. Red X had been wrong. She was sure that if she was with Robin, he would not have made the same risky plan without assurance that it was foolproof. She dropped out of the ship, her hair a bit singed and her bandages burnt, but aside from her leg aching, she felt relatively unscathed. She hadn't been in there too long.

Red X was still unconscious. Her eyes traveled over his face once more as she bit her lip, sitting in the driver's seat. What did she do now? Starfire was unsure of how to start the car, and if she did start it, she was afraid she would be unable to stop it safely.

"Please, friend, I urge you to awaken," She said, unsure of what to call him now that he was unmasked. He was no longer Red X. Starfire did not know who he was, the thought crossing her mind that maybe Robin was aware of his identity. Or perhaps he was just some random teenager off the streets. She could not imagine someone with that kind of scarring had a very pleasant upbringing.

However, she was not eager to stay in the same spot. Blackfire and her newfound friends - Starfire shouldn't call them such, they were more likely people she manipulated - would find her soon if she did not get moving. She recalled a movie the Titans had once watched together, in which a girl had been unconscious after being in a pool, much like how the unmasked Red X was now unconscious. To wake her up, one of the male characters, a 'guard of life', as she recalled, had done the lip contact.

"Ah, yes!" She clapped her hands together, now thinking of the Disney movie marathon they had sat her and a grumpy Raven down for. She could recall that the Beauty whom Slept and Snow White had also woken up via lip contact. If she had her super strength, perhaps she would have settled to awaken him via Tamaranean acupuncture. Of course, she did not have that option. She would have to go with this.

Starfire leaned over to him, placing her lips on his. She felt something odd bubble up in her stomach, but ignored as she placed her hands on his shoulders. She was afraid the feeling would consume her. It certainly painted her cheeks crimson. When she felt his gloved hand touch her cheek, the Princess pulled away. His eyes were blue, much like the sky on a cloudy day. They were dull, as if all the light had been taken from them. The sun wasn't out, and looked like it was going to stay that way.

"So..." She noted how different his voice sounded without the voice changer. "You waited until I was unconscious to improve your English?"

"I-" She started, and then flushed deeper, realizing how close they were. The girl pulled back, "Um..."

"Huh. I see it didn't do much," He stated, his eyes traveling to the singed ends of her hair. "No control panel in there, huh, cutie? Guess the only surefire to get that thing off of you is to infiltrate the tower." She drummed her fingers on her lap, looking away from him. She felt so flustered, and didn't know what to say. She couldn't make heads or tails of this feeling, but convinced herself it was not a positive one.

"Let's go," He said, hopping out of the car, placing his mask over his head. "Driving didn't do us much good." She was startled by his voice changing, taking his hand when he walked over to her and helped her out of the car. She walked beside him in silence, assuming he knew where to go.

"Cat got your tongue, cutie?"

She glanced at him, confused. "A feline is not in my mouth."

He cleared his throat, "Right."

Starfire made sure to keep her face in the shade of her hood, keeping alert. There were few people skittering about the streets, and luckily this was an area of the city where they had not gotten much exposure. However, she still wanted to be careful. Someone could see Red X and associate him with her.

"Red X," She finally broke the silence, unable to keep all of her questions in her mind, "I wish to..." She trailed off, unsure of how to word it.

"Get to know me?" He finished for her, glancing at her surprised expression. "You didn't think I noticed you glancing at me every five seconds, sweetheart?"

Once more, she flushed. Had she really been looking at him like that? Starfire hadn't even noticed. It was true that when she looked at him, she kept imagining his face underneath the mask. And those eyes, those hallow eyes that had such a look of desolation. She couldn't get them out of her head. Who was he, and why was he hiding? More importantly, what was he hiding? Though she did not have Raven's psychic intuition, even she trusted her gut that there was a story behind him.

"Please do not misunderstand my intentions," She clarified quickly, "I believe we will be able to cooperate and save my friends more quickly if I can trust you."

He snickered, "Wow, I guess all I needed to take you out on a date was show you my face, huh? Does that mean I am better looking than Robin?"

She shot him a glare, but her expression softened when she realized she could not answer him. "I do not know. I have never seen Robin's face."

"So you don't know his name, then, either?" She shook her head. He muttered, "What a dick." His tone sounded a bit lighter, as if he was making a joke. But, she didn't get it.

"I assume that is a bad word, is it not?" She asked, balling her fists up and wishing she could shoot him with a starbolt.

"Save your anger for your sister and her alien friends," He stated, which made her huff and shove her fists inside her hoodie pocket. He was right, of course, which infuriated her even more. "But while the offer is still open, I think our date will go fine, kid."

"We shall not be doing any sort of activity that would link us as friends whom are not merely friends!"

"Which is why you kissed me, huh?" He glanced at her, "Come on, cutie, don't tell me you don't know what that means on Earth."

They were now approaching a strip mall that was beyond abandoned - it was destroyed. All of the buildings had been broken into by desperate people who needed to steal clothing, food, or other supplies. The letters above the store had all fallen to the ground, broken and some stolen. Starfire felt horribly guilty, but she supposed there really was no other honest way to survive - at least, not with Red X as a companion.

With a frustrated sigh, she replied, "I believed the lip contact to be a working method of awakening you. It is featured prominently in your media and television, and I did not know what else to do without harming you further. Besides, you are awake now, so I was not wrong." Her face was hot, and Red X was loving every minute of it.

"I'm sure Chuckles is going to be thrilled when he hears about his girlfriend kissing his arch rival," He said, his voice full of mirth. Starfire was about to reply, but they approached a bakery that had seen much better days. Like the other buildings, the windows were all shattered, and the tables inside were flipped over. A tornado of desperation had certainly made its' havoc known here.

"Hold on, sweetheart, let me get the door for you." He held out an arm protectively in front of her as he kicked more glass in from the windows. When there was just enough space for him to go through without a huge chance of getting pierced, he jumped through the window. Once inside, he kicked the door down. "Look how crowded it is, honey. I don't think we're going to find a spot." He offered his hand for her to take, but she did not remove her hands from her pocket.

"It would be much appreciated if you were to stop with the unpleasant names," Starfire muttered darkly as Red X scanned the condition of the booths. Though they were all ripped up - and some missing - he was able to find one that was in decent condition. He gestured for her to sit down, appearing to have not heard her (or more likely, ignored her), and swiftly moved behind the counter. He returned a moment later with assorted baked goods.

She wasn't surprised to see that he had grabbed a loaf of bread for himself. He also had an assortment of other goods she did not know the name of, but was willing to try. "I do not understand how you do not tire of bread. Surely you have had it with the delicious Earth beverage known as mustard?"

"You know, cutie, when it's not a date we don't get to play twenty questions," He said coyly, taking his mask off and taking a bite of a scone. Starfire was rigid, staring right at his features as he swallowed. He'd been so secretive about his identity before, she was surprised he would so quickly take off his mask in front of her. The Princess flinched when his eyes locked with hers. She didn't look away, though there was something about his gaze that unsettled her. Perhaps it was because his eyes lacked a spark of life.

She revolved back into reality, realizing he was waiting on her response. Though there was a lack of a smile on his face, he had a heavily amused expression splashed across it. The girl turned crimson as she lowered her face, hurriedly eating a scone as if that would hide her embarrassment. She had to stop doing that!

"Fine," She agreed with a sigh, "You may call it whatever you wish. But I insist that this is not a romantic meeting between two people of the opposite gender."

"Judging by the look on your face, kid, you must have more than twenty questions on your mind," He stated, and then shrugged a shoulder, "Fire away."

"You shall tell the truth?"

"Whatever will make us 'cooperate' better," He responded, splaying his hands defensively when she glared at him. "Your words, not mine, cutie. I don't have anything to gain by lying to you, sweetheart."

"Very well," She finished her scone and studied him as he ripped off a piece of bread. "Who are you?"

He rose an eyebrow. "Red X," He replied simply, and then added with a shrug, "A xenothium thief who's just looking out for number one." Well, now he was looking out for a cute alien Princess, too. But he decided to forego that little detail.

"I believe you said you were going to be honest," She snapped, crossing her arms.

"If I'm not Red X, then I sure don't know who the guy is," Was his cool response.

Sure, he wasn't exactly lying, but he was being difficult. She took a deep breath and decided to be more clear, "What is your name?"

"Red -"

"I am not looking at a masked thief," She stated, her tone low and holding sincerity, "I am looking at a friend with odd hair and spots on his face. And I am asking what his parents have named him." He stared at her, surprised at her response. A moment of silence crossed between them, but Starfire did not back down from his gaze this time.

"Jason," He answered, looking at the table as he tore off another piece of bread, "Jason Todd."

She wanted to be surprised - to jump up and shout, You are Jason Todd! She wished that the revelation of his name was the last puzzle piece to his identity, but it was not. The name rang no bells to her. She didn't recognize the name, and did not connect it to his face. But he was not lying.

"They're called freckles, by the way," He added, gesturing to his face, "The tiny dots on my face. I tried to get rid of them along with my red hair, but they're a little more stubborn."

She was miffed by his statement about his hair, but ignored it and commented, "I think they are quite cute! I have not seen many Earthlings with these 'freckles'. How many do you possess?"

Her question caught him off guard. "I...that's not something you normally count, cutie."

"Red-"

"You can call me Jason," He interjected, "Unless I have the mask on. Just because you don't recognize me doesn't mean your friends are in the same basket."

"Jason," She tried out his name. Her voice made his name sound full of goodness. He loved it, nodding in approval. "Why are you the Red X? Why did you steal the suit from Robin?"

"Firstly, for Batman's prodigy, he should have known better than to leave that kind of security around a xenothium powered suit. His password wasn't hard to guess, either," Jason replied, and then added, "Secondly, it's a nice middle finger right to Chuckles. It's amusing to see him get an identity crisis about something so small."

She balled her fists up, accidentally crushing a cookie in her grip, "It is not amusing for Robin to be in a crisis. And it is not small. You are using his technology to do terrible things!"

He scoffed, "Oh, really?" He pulled out a cigarette from his utility belt and lit it. He leaned forward and blew a puff in her face, "What have I done that was so terrible?"

Though he was still a villain that should be in jail for theft, in comparison to Slade or X'hal forbid Trigon, he was rather mild. He had never killed or severely hurt anyone, and she knew that. She glanced up at the cigarette, believing it to be bad for his health. But she did not do anything.

Luckily – or maybe unfortunately – her stomach seemed to resonate with the silence hanging between them. A dark blush crossed her features as she realized she was still hungry. Though Tamaraneans' nine stomachs were meant to last in times of a famine, it did not mean she hadn't gotten accustomed to glorious Earth good. She let out a small squeal of embarrassment, her hands crossing her stomach as Jason looked at her with amusement in his eyes.

"I didn't know Tamaraneans had that kind of appetite," He said, though he knew that she hadn't eaten anything for the past day. She stood from the booth and excused herself. While she was rummaging for whatever looked appetizing, Jason thought about the alien Princess. She hadn't been very friendly to him to start, but he supposed that was an offshoot of having a psycho sister come back after having been expelled to whatever dark, cosmic dredges. Now she seemed a bit warmer, and her light shone. And that kiss…Jason touched his lips, remembering her warmth. Things would always go up and up for Starfire. While there he was, at the bottom. He finished his cigarette with that thought, about to go look for her. Could she really have gotten lost?

The moment he was about to stand was the one she came back. She was rather happy when she returned. She had a carton of ice cream and came back with two spoons. He didn't have much of an appetite, but he wouldn't pass on sharing dessert with her. She may not have thought of it much as a date, but when she told Robin about it – and Jason didn't doubt that she would, in that innocent way of hers – he would pass out and go looking for blood. That was, until, she turned the carton around with a bright smile on her face.

The front of the carton was decorated beautifully, with swirly pastel words that read, 'Ice cream so sweet you will smile!' What elicited a negative reaction from him was the picture of a clown's face next to those words. He didn't even think before he lost his composure and swiped the carton off of the table angrily. The sudden anger splashed across his features made her flinch. What had she done wrong?

He hadn't yelled, or swore, but even still he wanted to step on that carton and crush it. He inhaled deeply, immediately regretting his burst of anger. Just when he was getting her to trust him, too. But she didn't look scared. She was worried. "Sorry, kid," He mumbled, "I hate clowns."

"Do not apologize. I am the one who is sorry; I did not know," Though Starfire would have had no way of knowing, this somehow embarrassed her. "I had only wanted to see you smile." She disliked his hallow eyes, and had figured a smile would light them up. He was her friend, and she would do anything to see a friend happy. But she had been sorely mistaking, and now she felt dumb for even trying to lighten him up.

I had only wanted to see you smile. The words replayed in his head. He felt like he couldn't appreciate them properly, because he had never heard them spoken. The person who he had looked to as a father had been a bit too gruff for any sort of compassionate comment. The words were genuine, though, and that appalled him. She wanted to see him happy, and she meant it. He wasn't sure how to respond to that, and telling her the truth would make him feel pathetic. The one girl who seemed to care was a clueless alien dating his rival.

Starfire was unused to his silence. He normally had a silver-tongued quip at the ready, but for the second time of the day, she had thrown him off balance. She realized that she was talking to Jason Todd, a scarred young man she knew next to nothing about, and not to poised Red X.

She wouldn't give up, however. He had to like something, if not clowns. "If you do not like the clowns, then what do you like?"

He didn't even need to think about the answer.

"You."

An author's note at the bottom this time!

Thank you all for your reviews! I appreciate every one of them. I just wanted to say, before the well-versed DC fans come marching in, that I am well aware that not many - if any - incarnations of Jason Todd have ever had freckles. However, it was always my personal headcanon that he had them, and I just think he would be really super cute with them!