Prompt 3: Red
Set just after 'X'.

Sometimes Red X wondered what it would be like to change; not just to play hero but to be one. It was an outlandish thought in a world so black and white; once a criminal, always a criminal, right? Innocents would more likely club him over the head than cheer him on as he 'saved the day'. It never was and never would be an option for him, and Red X knew that. But sometimes, when the moon was full and the night was still, he would picture himself as someone worth looking up to. Someone good.

Someone like Robin.

There were many things Red X lacked; three square meals a day, a proper place to sleep every night…sleep in general, really. But if there was one thing that he truly desired, it was the friendship Robin had fostered with his Titans. They weren't just a team, they were a family. Maybe if he'd had a group of friends like Robin did, Red X wouldn't have turned out the way he did. Maybe he'd be admired. He'd become a criminal for that very reason, really. After all, better to be infamous than not famous at all. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that there was no point in admiration if there was no one to share it with.

Robin had Beast Boy. The funny jokester. The one to keep the team smiling. Certainly he could be annoying at times, but he had a sturdy smile and a genuine feel to him. He balanced the Boy Wonder out nicely, and the thief was sure that it was appreciated.

Robin had Raven. She gave Red X shivers, and not in a good way, but he doubted that she was like that around her friends. Despite her less-than-cool aura, she seemed like the type who could really take the time and understand when something was wrong. Perhaps even how to fix it. Or, at the very least, make an effort to help.

Robin had Cyborg. Oh, they had their rivalries to be sure, but at the end of the day Red X had no doubt that the two teammates trusted one another completely. He'd seen them fight together, eat together, laugh together. When the time came, they'd be there for one another.

Robin had Starfire. How a guy could get that lucky was beyond Red X. He saw the way the alien princess looked at her leader, the small smiles and the quick glances. It was undeniable, the way her eyes followed him about a room. The thief had always prided himself in being a generally emotionless individual, good for being a criminal in general, but when it came to Starfire…things got a bit difficult.

Robin had it all. Sometimes Red X wondered if the Titans leader could see it.

The thief watched carefully from a safe distance as lights danced atop Titans Tower. It seemed that the team had decided to dine on the roof late in the night. Perhaps a long day of crime fighting had driven them to put off their evening meal. Whatever the reason, five friends gathered together on the roof of their home to enjoy the company

of one another. He'd never admit it, but Red X never wished more desperately than now that he was one of them.

It was nights like this that Red X realized that he was neither black nor white, despite the confinements society placed on its people.

He was simply red.

And I'm sorry, so sorry, I'm sorry it's like this.
-They/Jem-