Cyanocitta

Hello everyone! I am so, so, so terribly sorry this update has taken me so long to pump out. I also apologize that this chapter isn't as long as it should be for the time to took to type out )= But thank you everyone for your awesome reviews!

viii. can't hold us

"You have hurt my friend, sister," Neither Red X nor Speedy had ever heard Starfire sound so angry, "I am sorry, but I shall not be going easy on you."

Blackfire laughed, "You might have beat me before, sister dear, but I refuse to have you exile me again."

"Please, Speedy, ensure that the Red X is alright," Starfire demanded, her eyes a bright green. When Jason had destroyed the remote, her powers had clicked back into place. She flew towards her sister, the two engaging in battle.

Speedy ran over to where Red X was, taken aback when he realized he was unmasked. As the archer knelt beside to inspect his wounds, he commented, "You're...I mean, you look just like Bruce Wayne's son." His voice went quiet as he added in a ghastly whisper, "The one who…died."

Jason said nothing to Speedy's conjecture. He didn't feel like dealing with Speedy freaking out over his identity, especially when the ginger archer had no idea about the truth. All he really wanted right now was ribs not puncturing his lungs.

"M-My...shoulder's di-dislocated," He breathed out, Speedy helping him sit up.

"If that's all, then she must've dislocated it into your heart, man. You look like you need the ER," The redhead stated, leaning him against a wall and adding, "This might hurt." Speedy successfully relocated Red X's shoulder by grasping his shoulder and forcing it to roll back, popping it into place with a wince. Speedy made sure they both were protected as Blackfire flew over head, slamming into the wall above them. Grabbing onto Jason's arms, the archer dragged the thief out of the warzone. Rubble from the wall fell as Blackfire fell with it, getting caught by Starfire. She seemed to be thoroughly whooping her sister, and as much as Jaosn wanted to revel in this moment, there were other things to attend to.

"She...cr-cracked my..." He gestured to his side, and then to his mouth. It was obvious by the way his mouth looked that his jawbone had been broken and didn't belong in that position. Speedy's eyes widened at realization. Blackfire had super strength, after all. It was easy for her to break his bones.

"I don't think I can help you there," Speedy said, reaching for Red X's cape and tearing a piece of it off. He handed it to the boy and added, "Your blood is bright. Something internal has to be punctured."

'I already assumed that much, thank you,' The thief thought, wiping his mouth and proceeding to stand up.

"You probably shouldn't move."

"What...sage a-advice," He breathed, every intake another dagger in his side. It hurt just to breathe. "Get my ... mask f-for me, Sidekick," He ordered, slumping back down as Speedy dutifully did as he asked.

When Speedy held the mask back to him, their eyes met. "How did you survive, Jason?" He asked, Jason snatching the mask back and placing it back on. "That has to be you, right?" Red X ignored him, and just prayed that Speedy wouldn't be a tattletale and go off to Gotham. Or, even worse, tell Green Arrow, who would tell Batman and that would then mean…

'What a pain,' He thought to himself, regretting his earlier strategy of getting Blackfire interested in him.

"Stop talking," Red X demanded, nodding towards where Starfire and Blackfire were fighting. "G-Go and...help." Red X wished he could do something, but unfortunately it was difficult to even breathe, especially now that the mask was on. He wished he hadn't even let Speedy see his face; but for some reason, he didn't think the redhead would blab to everyone, especially when the archer didn't seem confident about the boy he just saw.

He watched as the injured Blackfire tried to deal with her more powerful sister and the capable archer. He noted out of the corner of his eyes that some Schlurchs were coming into the room to interfere, but he stopped them with his Xs and other gadgets. He had just about run out of what he had on him, and he never liked being unprepared. He glanced up at Starfire, who was currently heating up one of his Xarangs and throwing it at her sister. He shook his head. Did their training before the battle completely fly out of her head? It wasn't like he could complain; Blackfire was so severely outclassed by the two fighters that Red X knew this pathetic little invasion was going to crumble.

He could've teleported out of there and let the two redheads handle the rest. Blackfire was just about done with her defiance. He could've teleported out of there and not dealt with the rest of the Titans. With Robin. But he decided against it. A thank you from a pride-crushed Robin would be more than enough satisfaction for what he'd done. As long as Speedy kept his mouth shut, and he had no reason to open it in front of Robin, whose identity Red X prayed he didn't know.

By the time he was done musing, Blackfire was subdued and Red X found himself in a crushing hug from Starfire. "Friend!" Her voice was laced with pure elation, "You are alright!"

"No," He choked out, his own voice tinted with pain as he coughed, "B-Brok..broken ribs..." He felt liquid against his mask and lifted his mask to wipe his mouth, his gloves now streaked with red.

The girl instantly let go of him, a flush crossing her face as a look of worry crossed her face. He wished she wouldn't worry about him, but god did she look adorable. She held his utility belt back to him, and gratefully he clipped it back on. Wow, he hadn't realized how much he had been craving a cigarette.

"Let's go get the city back," Speedy said, gesturing to the stairs that led to the living room.

"Meet you there," Red X nodded, glancing at Blackfire who appeared to be unconscious. He looked back at the Schlurchs, some of whom were escaping. He was sure that the Green Lantern Corps would have such fun apprehending Drenthax IV. But what had Blackfire's intentions been? To bring another planet's fleet to conquer the Earth…he wasn't sure what her mastermind plan was, but at least it was foiled.

He teleported to the room, seeing that the Titans were in clear globes that contained them. Along the floor were wires, probably connecting to the power source that kept the Tower running despite the EMP. Red X was almost relieved to see that Blackfire hadn't been a sadist and didn't appear to be torturing them – and then he looked at their uniforms. Most of them looked exhausted and a bit bruised up. Maybe Blackfire did have some fun lashing out on them.

He tried not to feel sorry for them, and instead thought, 'It…builds character.' Haha. Right.

"Red X!" Robin slammed his fists against the globe, glaring at him. Red X was stationary, looking back at Robin as his fists dropped from the globe, relaxing. "I didn't think you would come to save us. Where's Starfire?"

"You know this guy?" Bumblebee asked. Due to the sudden...alien invasion, Red X hadn't faced her or her branch of Titans.

"Unfortunately," Robin muttered.

"Hombre misterioso, nos salvas?" The two speedsters in separate globes pressed their faces against the edge, looking at him with wonder.

Red X rose an eyebrow, "No, pero mis amigos van a salvar ustedes."

"Qué? Que tacaño..." The boys muttered.

"Woah, you speak Spanish?" Beast Boy asked, and then laughed, "That's something Robin can't do!" Robin gritted his teeth and turned to look at his green teammate, yelling something about Beast Boy being quiet, which caused a raucous laughter to ripple through the Titans encased in globes.

Red X didn't walk over to them. That would show that he was injured, and he definitely didn't want any sympathy from any of them, especially not from Robin. He instead stayed where he was, leaning against a counter and crossing arms.

"Sorry kids," He breathed carefully, grateful for the voice changer masking the pain in his voice, "But I'm not the rescue committee."

"Friends!" The same elated voice that had greeted him a moment ago now made itself known in the living room. Red X glanced at Starfire's face as she lit up at seeing her friends - and Robin.

"Boy Wonder smiling? That's a first for you, Chuckles," Red X commented, but his comment went mostly unheard as Speedy entered the room.

"So now," The archer started, "We've got to figure out a way that will-"

Starfire unleashed her eyebolts at the sphere that was holding Robin. He ducked, cape over his head, as the sphere melted.

"That works too," Speedy scratched his head as Starfire proceeded to free the rest of the Titans. Red X stayed where he was, as Robin approached him begrudgingly.

"I'm not here to give out autographs, kid," He said, crossing his arms.

"Thanks for...keeping Starfire safe," Robin cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. "And for...well, I'm sure you helped get her and Speedy in here. If you were any other guy, that would make you an honorary Titan."

Red X almost felt as if he could die from laughter. Did Robin really just say that? "So you're letting me off the hook from my past crimes?" To be honest, he was grateful Robin didn't want to persecute him. In this state, he would definitely lose. Not to mention, he wasn't sure if he had enough xenothium to teleport again.

"To me it seems that you like being the hero," Robin crossed his arms, mimicking Red X. Robin had given a T-Comm to Gizmo before, back when he'd been drafted into the Master of Games' ruthless competition. Sure, Cyborg had revoked it, but Robin had still offered. The boy wonder inhaled deeply and then huffed. "Well…we've given a T-Comm to Gizmo before…"

Red X would've laughed, but he knew that he'd just be in more pain. "Keep it, Chuckles," He spoke slowly, "I don't want to join your heroic jamboree." What use would he even have for a communicator? It wasn't like he'd ever join their forces if they needed help against another villain. "Unless…it has perks." If his T-Comm could act like a Get Out of Jail Free card, then...

"No," Robin growled, "Just because you've saved us all -"

"And the entire city of Jump, kid. And that's a population of…remind me again?"

The Titan exhaled sharply and rolled his eyes, which made Red X grin. Really, one of his favorite past times had to be bothering this kid. "Right, I get it. You…" He took a deep breath, his teeth grinding as he uttered, "Saved. Everyone. Just what exactly were you after, Red X?"

"A little gratitude, for starters," He replied smoothly as Robin glanced behind him to see how the other Titans were holding up. Most of them were already free and waiting for direction from their leader. As Red X predicted, Robin took an inordinate amount of time expressing his gratitude, but when he did, it was beautiful. He should've recorded it, really.

"Thank you," Robin finally said, and it was that moment that the Titans were now all free. The leader whipped around to face his team.

"Awwyeah, baby!" Cyborg grinned, "Time to go kick some alien butt! No one invades my city, and no one invades my tower!" The expression on Cyborg's face contorted as he saw the decoration changes Blackfire had done to the living room. She had given it her flair, and Cyborg didn't like it one bit.

"Are there even any aliens left?" Raven asked quietly, attempting to tune out Cyborg and Beast Boy who were busy chipping off a coat of black paint. Aqualad was with them, using his power over water to help.

"We couldn't get rid of all of them," Speedy said, "There are some left in the tower. And then there's Blackfire to deal with..."

"Titans," Robin addressed the group. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Aqualad stood at attention, now serious. "It's time for some clean-up." He punched his fist into his palm with a smirk as the Team nodded and separated to go off and take care of the Schlurchs. Most of them were ready to initiate some payback, and Red X had no doubt that they would get to the bottom of this. Starfire and Robin, however, lingered.

'Great,' He thought bitterly, 'Do I get to see them have a reunion kiss?' Sign him up for not that.

"If you two are going to kiss -" Red X started, but Starfire flushed and shook her head.

"I merely wish to inquire what you are going to do now," She said, and then added, "I can escort you to a hospital."

"Hospital?" Robin asked, and Red X seethed at the concern dotting his voice. There was no way he was going to let Robin know he was hurting.

Starfire nodded, oblivious to Red X's desire. She floated over to Robin and interlocking fingers with his hand. Red X tried not to notice. "Yes! He faced Blackfire with the Jewel of Charta, and was bleeding from his mouth -"

"Mouth?" Robin asked, making Red X tense up. "Star, you saw his face?"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here. That's not nice, kids," The thief knew it was time to leave. He thought he would vomit if he saw the two get lovey-dovey over each other; the fact that they were so close and holding hands made him - no, he wasn't jealous.

"Starfire, you know who he is?" Robin rephrased more aggressively, gesturing to the thief. Red X attempted to teleport, but only ended up fizzing and staying in the same spot. Wonderful. Almost out of xenothium. He had enough left for maybe one more shock from his glove. To be fair, he had used up his suit's abilities during his trek through the Tower.

Starfire let go of Robin's hand, looking like she was caught between a rock and a hard place. She did not want to lie, and she did not want to betray Red X's trust. Especially not when he was right in front of her! Her pause made Robin tense up; Red X could see that he was getting fed up with this charade.

"Robin, I -"

"Who are you?" The leader turned around to the thief, and before Red X could react, Robin extended his bo staff and slammed it against Red X, pinning the thief to the counter. Part of the staff was applying pressure to his ribs, which made it difficult to counter.

"Robin, you are hurting him! I will not let you hurt my friend!" Starfire shouted, grabbing onto Robin and pulling him away from the thief.

"Star, he stole my suit! I have a right to know who he is. He may have saved us, but that doesn't mean he isn't a criminal!" Robin fought Starfire off, insistent on learning his identity. This was a complete 360 from his earlier friendliness. Why was Red X not surprised?

Red X had one trick up his sleeve that might allow him to escape. He had to try. The aching in his side made it difficult to sort out any logic that his plan had, and right now his priority was going right to his apartment and laying down. As the pressure continued, he became more desperate, and then finally he said,

"You sure haven't changed, Grayson."

Robin stopped, his eyes widening. He pulled back, the bo staff dropping from his hands. His mouth hung slightly ajar, too frozen to do anything else. Predictable. This now gave the thief the leverage to move his arms. Red X reached forward, tapping Robin's head as he emitted a shock from his glove that would paralyze him long enough for him to get away.

"Robin!"

"He's fine," Red X started to hobble away. This was so embarrassing. He couldn't even walk straight. Maybe he wouldn't be able to make a quick getaway.

Suddenly, Starfire was at his side, lifting most of his weight and helping him walk quicker. "I believe you are in need of the hospital," She said, looking back at Robin, lying on the floor. She paused, letting go of Red X briefly. She flew over to Robin, and quickly carried him to the couch. The Princess hesitated once more, and then quickly floated over to the kitchen to grab a sticky note and a pen. She scribbled something down, and left it right in Robin's hand. Starfire needed to find out why Red X didn't want Robin to know his name. And why had he called him Grayson? Was that Robin's real name?

Starfire was back to helping Red X walk, and directed him to an elevator. Once they were in it, Red X stated, "I can't." The redhead blinked, realizing he was talking about going to the hospital.

"I do not understand why not."

"First, they're out of electricity. Second, they'll ask who I am, and ask for family. They're smart enough to take discreet DNA tests if they know I'm a thief," He huffed, "Think they're gonna pass up on the chance to ID a criminal, cutie?"

"Where shall you go for treatment?" Starfire practically carried him to the entrance of the tower, careful not to hurt him as she did so. They talked on their way there, observing the state of the Tower and the energetic Titans ready to whoop butt as they did so.

"My apartment," He answered. Broken ribs would heal with time. So would his internal injuries; as long as he was still and didn't risk a hemorrhage, he would be fine. Sure, he would probably be in a lot of pain and discomfort, but it would be better than everyone finding out his identity. Though he should probably see a doctor, he'd been through much worse.

"I shall come," Starfire said, "I do not wish for you to be alone, especially while you are not like this."

"What about your sister?" He asked, surprised. "What about the invasion forces?" Didn't she want to stay around and apprehend the criminals, especially when one of them was her sister? Did she really care about Jason's wellbeing that much?

"I am sure Robin shall deal with Blackfire appropriately. I have already exiled her. I am unsure of what else to do," Starfire said, hoping that the Titans could contain her. The lack of electricity would make it hard to jail her or exile her to anywhere without reassurance she would not come back. "I have already left a note that Robin should not look for me. After you are no longer hurting, I will then inquire details about the situation."

She seemed insistent on staying with him, it genuinely surprised him. It made him feel important. That was a first. "As well," She hovered in place, biting on her lip, "I know you do not have any other friends."

Well, that was true. Speedy was someone Red X could now comfortably call an ally, but he would never ask the archer for help in a situation like this. Especially not when Speedy was onto his identity – that would just make things difficult. "No," He stated, "Don't pity me, cutie."

"You misunderstand!" She said as they passed by Más y Menos high fiving each other and rounding up some Schlurchs, "I do not pity. I care."

"Boy Wonder is going to be thrilled," He remarked.

"I am not sure if Robin is happy that we are friends," She said, but shook her head, "But that does not matter. I shall not leave you."

He glanced at her. Her face was full of determination, and worry. She was set. When she said that she wasn't going to leave him, Red X knew that she wasn't lying. To hear someone say that and mean it so vehemently felt…well, it felt nice to be cared about.

"Are you sure?" He asked, as they came across the room Blackfire had been knocked unconscious in. She was still unconscious, but nonetheless, Starfire paused before her. Cyborg and Bumblebee were just a few feet away, embroiled in an argument about how best to contain her. "You being absent could put a hold on their interrogation process," He reminded her, almost as if he was persuading her otherwise.

"I am aware," Starfire said, but then turned to him, "But can they not hold her until you are well? I cannot – shall not abandon a friend."

"Are you sure?" He repeated, mentally hitting himself. It was just so sudden to see Starfire – or anyone, really, care. It was as if he was trying to pepper her with so many questions that she would drop the act of caring. But it wasn't an act.

"Yes."

Well, that was that.

"... Thanks."