A/N: While Zinothium might not be the best title, it's the best one I could come up with. If y'all can think of a better one, please let me know.

As my little sister said, "He's not a happy little Boy Wonder."

This is it everyone. This is the last chapter. As of this day, Red Breast is finished. But I am not! Be on the lookout for new stuff. I've got a requested oneshot coming out (eventually) and after all, a brand new project. Be prepared for multiple chapters.

Thank you so much for reading. You guys are awesome. It gives me hope for the TT fandom.

Time Line: post Season V; pre-Tokyo

Zinothium

"I've got friends in low places."

The darkness closed in around us and shadows suddenly became malicious as they disguised potential danger. The alarms that had been blaring in our ears just a couple minutes ago had finally shut off, enveloping us in tense silence that was broken only by the constant soft beeping that sounded in time with a flash of red light. A continuous transmission to the police and Teen Titans' mainframe, I guessed. The cool bars of our enclosure dug into the flesh of my back, making me even more uncomfortable than I already was.

I released an angry snort of air. Well, I had told the museum to get a better security system. I just never thought that I'd be caught by it.

A chuckle sounded across from me and I looked up to narrow my eyes at a smug Red X. He sprawled against the bars of the metal cage, his legs taking up most of the room. As a result, my legs were brought up to my chest and they protected my folded arms. This 4'x4' cage wasn't big enough for the two of us.

And it certainly wasn't helping my already-bad mood.

"What are you so happy about?" I snapped. "This is all your fault. We're both stuck here until the police come and get us out." I shifted slightly, trying to find some semblance of comfort. "Well, you'll get sent off to jail," I added, taking some pleasure in that thought.

He shrugged. "Maybe," he said in the computer generated voice that I designed over a year ago. "I just find this a little funny."

"Funny?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"You and me always seem to get stuck together, don't we?" He angled his head a little. "Just wondering how you're gonna save me from this one and how I'm gonna repay you."

I frowned and glanced away, watching a cockroach scuttle across the floor. It was an uncomfortable truth.

"Besides," he continued, "I wouldn't have tripped the alarm if you hadn't pushed me."

I levelled my gaze at his casual pose. "I was trying to stop a crime. That's part of my-"

"Job, I know." He paused for a moment and when he spoke again I could swear he was smirking. "So you've said."

Before I could comment, he continued, "And I wouldn't be too sure they'll get me into jail, kid." Now he was definitely smirking.

I shifted again and let my legs relax a little. "How are you gonna get out this time, X? Your magic belt is way over there." I pointed to the lone belt several feet away from our cage.

"I still say that was a low blow, bird boy; stealing my belt." His posture had finally tensed up.

I frowned at him. "You would've used it to escape," I said, pointing out the obvious. "There wasn't any need to take mine, though," I muttered, eyeing my belt that had been thrown far over to the museum doors.

"Don't like a taste of your own medicine, kid?"

I slumped further down and glared at the museum floor. "I can't believe I was beaten by a cage," I muttered.

Red X shrugged as if to point out how comfortable he was by it all. "Could be worse," he said smoothly, proving my thought.

I shot a look at him. "Yes. It could. I'd just prefer not to think about what could have happened." I slumped a little lower, scenarios already playing out in my head.

He eyed me. "You're not a very optimistic guy." It wasn't a question.

I sighed. I'd been told this several, several times, usually by my own team mates. Sometimes even by the villains I was fighting. "I'm a realist. Hero work kinda takes the silver lining out of life."

By the way his mask moved, I guessed he'd raised an eyebrow. "I thought heroes were all about fighting for the good things in life."

That's what I had thought years ago too. I'd learned otherwise since then. "Not when you work with the Batman."

"Then what do you fight for?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Peace, I guess."

"Peace isn't a good thing?" He was smirking again.

I rolled my eyes. He was being much more difficult than he needed to be. "I think we fight more for life than anything. Life, and the chance for others to have a peaceful life." Somebody should have some peace. I obviously wasn't getting any tonight, or any other night.

"Still sounds like you're fighting for the good things."

I scowled. He needed to learn some new lines. "Fine. So I fight for the good things in life, but I see all the nasty stuff too."

I've seen so much evil. My mind was forever changed even before I came to Jump and fought off Slade and an inter-dimensional demon. I've had to handle guns, beat off rapists, break up drug dealings, dismantle bombs, anything else you can think of. I lived in Gotham, and I swear there's a reason why it has the word 'goth' as the first part of its name. It's not a nice place. When you work there, you don't deal with simple robberies where you take Jimmy to his parents' house to ask them to please give him a good grounding because he stole a pack of gum from Mr. Mercer's store again. In Gotham, you fight to live.

"Do you believe in what you fight, though?"

My hands fisted from behind my legs. "What are you, a shrink?" I asked, sarcasm flooding my words.

He stayed silent for a minute, then shrugged. "I guess I'm just curious why you do it. It seems pretty pointless to me. Nothing ever changes."

I raised my eyebrows. Was he joking? "Did you even see what Jump was like before the Titans came around? I didn't pick this place because I thought the name was weird." Although, to be honest, I had five cities narrowed down, and Jump won simply because its name was way more intriguing than Whitburn or Felix. "I picked it because it needed help. Before the Titans, this place was a dump. Of course things change. Things have become better - that's why we fight."

"So even though you don't believe in the good things, you still fight for them."

I sighed, the air blowing out of my nostrils. "I believe in the good things of life, X. They just don't play a major role in my life."

I stayed quiet, trying to organize my thoughts. "I fight for kids - the ones who have no idea that their uncle is a drunk, and just know him as the guy who takes them to the circus whenever it's in town. I fight for the people who try to help others even if they don't get anything back. I fight for the chance for humankind to live peaceable with everyone." A memory tugged at my mind, and I grinned at it. "Like Beast Boy said, I fight for truth, justice, and the last slice of pizza.

"Yeah, X. I fight for the good things in life."

I could swear he was smirking again. "Quite a little speech there, kid."

My cheeks starting burning, but I shrugged it off, hoping he couldn't see it in the darkness. "I organize a group of teenagers. I gotta have some speech-making skills."

"True." He laughed, the machine that vibrated by his voice box distorting the sound until it was robotic and ugly. "My girlfriend would've loved to hear all that."

My ears were ringing. His what? "You have a girlfriend?"

He snorted. "Sure do. Life does exist outside this costume, you know."

I knew that. I knew that better than most. "But you're always flirting with Starfire."

I felt stupid as soon as the words left my mouth. Like I didn't flirt a little with Poison Ivy while I dated Batgirl. Dick Grayson could be a notorious flirt - he took after his father in that way. And it was fun to push their buttons. Most were cute when they were angry.

"Goes with the image. Besides, bird boy, you always get so worked up when I do."

My fist clenched and I shifted, feeling anger burn in my chest. Who did he think he was?

"Watch it, kid. If you hit me, I'll hit back; and in a space like this someone might get hurt."

I breathed out slowly, forcing my anger to flow out of me. He was right. My hand relaxed. "Yeah; you," I muttered, looking away.

"Doubt it." He was smirking again.

I ignored him, knowing that if I took him too seriously he'd annoy me to the point of no return. Instead, I leaned my head back and stared at the ceiling. "What were you trying to steal from here, anyways?" I muttered to myself.

That was what was getting me. Red X didn't steal priceless artifacts. He stole zinothium to power his suit and go on joy rides. There was no zinothium found in the Jump City museum, and nothing of any real interest here. What was his purpose? Didn't he know he'd only get caught?

"Seriously?" he asked.

I blinked and looked back at him, realising that we'd been silent for almost a full minute before he'd answered me. "Yeah," I said. "Seriously."

He breathed deeply. "My girlfriend wanted to look at the Goldmein Necklace."

I frowned. "That ugly thing?"

He sighed angrily. "Yeah. That ugly thing. She swears it looks just like her Grandma's or something - I don't know. Wouldn't shut up about it anyways," he muttered.

"So you were gonna steal it and give it to her," I summarized flatly. "That thing is worth millions."

"I was going to borrow it - just for the night." He shrugged, knowing his reasoning was completely preposterous. "It'd be back by tomorrow," he mumbled.

"Uh huh."

His head snapped up to meet my eyes and I could feel his anger glaring through the cloth of his mask. "Like you wouldn't do the same for your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," I said evenly, thankful Starfire wasn't here to hear that. "And even if she was, I still wouldn't. Stealing necklaces from a museum is a crime."

"And you're too good for that."

"Exactly."

He fell into an almost sullen silence and I eyed him a little longer. "Why didn't you just pay for the tour?" I asked snappily. "Lot less people getting mad at you then."

He glared up at me again, but before he could speak, the museum doors slammed open and a bright light scanned the entire lobby. Red X and I both got to our feet and blocked our eyes with our hands before the light could blind us.

"Dim it down a bit, Cy!" I called, squinting into the light. I could hear Red X's hiss of pain beside me.

"Robin!"

Starfire's high voice was quickly followed by a whoosh of wind, and when I lowered my hand to look in front of my, she floated on the other side of the cage bars. Her face was alive with relief.

"Oh, thank X'hal, you are safe, Robin! When we did not hear from you-"

"I'm fine, Star," I said, cutting her off. She could go for hours sometimes, but she still drew a smile from me. "Really."

"Dude... do you have any idea what time it is?" Beast Boy groaned, stumbling out from behind he fell head over heels. "Oww... What was that?" he wondered sleepily.

"Too early?" I guessed.

"Two in the morning," Cyborg confirmed.

I shrugged. "Sorry." I glanced over at Beast Boy, who was rubbing his back. "Was that my belt, Beast Boy? It got caught on something during the fight and it was either lose it or lose him," I lied, tossing a thumb in Red X's direction. The lie sounded more plausible than the truth and I didn't want to spend the entire night here explaining something as stupid as that.

"Oww..." Beast Boy groaned. "Yup. It's definitely your belt."

"Great." I looked up at the Titans. "Wanna contain X here for me, Raven?"

She was eyeing me, probably having sensed my lie and wondering why I said it. Thankfully, she didn't comment and only made her eyes glow black. "Gladly," she droned. With a wave of her hand, a sheet of black magic wrapped itself around Red X's body, trapping his arms to his torso. She began walking towards us.

He watched me. "What? Don't you trust me?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. Right. I looked back at Star. "Okay, Star; let us out."

With a groan of exertion, she pried the bars apart far enough for me to slip through and out of my cage. As soon as I did so, she hugged me tightly for a brief second, then released me, blushing slightly. I smirked at her and shook my head. I'd talk to her later.

"Are the police here, Cy?" I asked, stepping away from the cage. A quick glance behind me showed Raven leading Red X out of the cage.

Cyborg gestured outside. "They're waiting with a van just for him."

I nodded. "Good." I kept my eyes on Red X who had just stepped out of the cage. The moment he did so, I saw his head tilt slightly.

I followed his gaze and my eyes landed on his belt lying feet away from us. Before I could push Starfire aside, however, Red X kicked back with his foot, smashing into Raven's face. The forced knocked her back and her head slammed into the cage, her body slumping to the floor. As soon as her eyes closed, the magic containing Red X vanished, and he darted for his belt.

Beside me, Starfire gasped and flew towards Raven's limp body and I ran for Red X.

We reached the belt at the same time and as my fingers closed around it, I saw him drop into a low crouch. I reared my head back to dodge the high kick he aimed at me, but then his foot dropped directly onto my hands. His foot knocked the belt out of my hands and onto the floor with a sharp clatter.

I tried to sweep my feet around it, ignoring the throbbing in my hands, but his hands grabbed it before I could finish the move. He pulled up and tried to snap it around his waist when I stopped him with a flying tackle, throwing him to the ground, with my fists already aiming for his face.

We rolled; me trying to get my hands up high enough to cause him some damage when I ht him and him trying to block my punches with one hand while his other hand struggled with his belt. Even as he grunted from pain as some of my punches made contact I could sense him smirking behind his mask.

I gritted my teeth and managed to get a direct punch to his nose. He cried out even as he snapped the belt on. I heard him laugh beneath me and he vanished in a flash of red light. I growled and got to my knees, punching the ground in frustration.

"Why didn't you stop him?" I barked, snapping my head around to glare at Cyborg and Beast boy.

"And hit you?" Cyborg countered, his arm already morphed into a cannon.

"Hey, bird boy."

My head snapped back and I looked around widely until I found him sitting on top of a statue of some ancient goddess, his feet hanging off the side. Before I could give them the order to fire, he spoke out again.

"You almost make people want to be a hero, kid. And yet..." He shrugged, standing up, bringing his head inches away from hitting the ceiling, "it still doesn't sound like it's quite as much fun as my way."

Anger boiled deep inside of me. So now he was going to mock me? "You remember that when I save your girlfriend's life!" I shouted, wishing I had my belt so I could throw something at him. "Titans, go!"

Instantly, a blast from Cyborg's cannon passed through the spot where Red X had been just a moment before. I heaved a sigh and fell back on my rear, frowning in disgust.

"Uh... Robin?"

I glanced over at Beast Boy who was timidly holding out my belt to me. I sighed again and took it from him, standing up to snap it back on. 'Thanks," I muttered. I glanced over at Raven and Starfire, still huddled by the cage. "You two all right?"

Starfire looked up, Raven curled in her orange arms, the latter holding her head. "I believe that Raven shall be fine after some rest," Starfire answered gently.

I nodded and crossed my arms. Slowly I looked over to where Red X had been and frowned again. Maybe being a hero wasn't the most entertaining job a person could have. But it was the most rewarding one I knew of.

With another sigh, I turned around and faced my team. Cyborg stood strong and patient, Beast Boy rubbed the sleep from his eyes, Starfire stood with Raven lying in her arms, and Raven was frowning in pain. Despite the loss, I gave them an honest smile. Being a hero brought me to them, a new family I never thought I'd have, and that was worth all the darkness of the job.

"C'mon, Titans. Let's go home."

- - - ZINOTHIUM - - -

Angry boy, a bit too insane

Icing over a secret pain

You know you don't belong.

You're the first to fight;

You're way too loud;

You're the flash of light on a burial shroud...

I know something's wrong...

'Cause everyone I know has got a reason

To say:

Put the past away.

- - - END - - -