Teen Titans One-Shots

Welcome to Gotham

Summary: The Teen Titans are going to Gotham, and they have very different feelings about the city than their leader.
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Robin led the way on his motorcycle as the other Titans followed behind him in the T-car. After a long road trip across the country from California to Jersey, the city of Gotham finally came into sight. Her tall buildings created an almost living shadow, even though it was the middle of the day, and Robin could feel the city pulling him closer with a commanding aura, as though she were a queen summoning her faithful servant. And he was more than happy to heed the call of his lady.

The city, if he were to describe it, was like a great dragon protected by her Dark Knight and his squire. She was no castle, for she was alive and had a way of turning the hearts of all who entered. After being away from her so long, Robin could feel in his heart that Gotham was calling him home. A grin spread out across his face as the city's towers loomed above them in the distance, and it took a great amount of effort not to release an excited cheer the closer they came.

When he had first arrived in Gotham several years ago with the traveling circus, Dick had been afraid of the city. But his fear had been largely overridden with helping set up for their largest show. His mother, a beautiful gypsy woman from Romania, had always said that there was an air of mystery, danger, and excitement about the city, as though there was a touch of magic about it. Robin was inclined to agree.

His father, a Gothamite born and bred, would always be the first to step out of their trailer car and take in a deep breath of the polluted air and greet the city like an old friend. Now, Robin could do the same.

For when his parents were killed that fateful night, Gotham took him under her wing through Batman, her dark protector. It was here he had grown into becoming a guardian of life himself, and it was here that he learned to love the city he called home.

    Robin chuckled under his breath as he stared up at the city's skyline, ready to become a part of it once again. Jump was much smaller than Gotham, meaning less room to fly. Here he could truly soar between and over buildings and perch on the grotesque gargoyles that kept sentry over the masses below. He missed the chilly night air as he stood guard on the ledge of a building and the adrenaline pumping through his veins whenever the hunt began. That was the true thrill of the game, and satisfaction was sweet when evil lost and justice prevailed.

    Starfire, on the other hand, did not like Gotham. It was dark and dirty, and it reminded her too much about the nightmarish places her sister would tell stories about to her in the dead of night. She honestly wondered if she would have enough joy to fly in this dreary city, for she could feel shreds of fear clawing at her courage. This was no mere city; it was a monster from the outer rims of the galaxy.

But how could Robin, her Robin, come from such a terrible place? He was so happy and full of hope; Starfire couldn't see how he could ever survive in this land that felt shrouded by shadows, much less love it enough to actually miss it.

Yes, Robin was often serious back in Jump City, and very determined, and she began to wonder if those habits were formed out of a need for survival. If that was the case, perhaps that was why he never seemed bothered by the strain he always put himself under. She could only hope nothing terrible would happen during their stay, and X'hal help them if it did.

The city was almost upon them, and the closer they got, the tighter Cyborg gripped the steering wheel. He couldn't believe he was actually going to Gotham. He had heard so many stories and watched the news about it several times before he became half-machine, and just the idea of going inside made him want to squirm in his seat. Everybody knew Gotham was a bad place, and everyone who wasn't born inside that abyss stayed as far away from it as they could.