Robin, not exactly feeling up to grappling through Manhattan at the moment, was able to happily ride with Steve on his motorcycle on the way back to the Avengers Tower. He had to admit he liked the classic Harley, and he made a mental note to ask Bruce for one whenever he got back. He could totally see himself rocketing through downtown Gotham on his way to school or to one of the Wayne galas, bringing back a sense of style that had been lost to the aristocracy. Or maybe he would ride it around Happy Harbor just to show it off to his team. Wally would be so jealous.

The thought of his best friend and his father figure made the chipper bird sober up. He hadn't had much time to think before, but now that he realized it, Robin knew that he missed his family. The idea of maybe not seeing Bruce or Alfred or his hero family made his heart heavy, and the normally chatty teen became unnaturally quiet. He didn't want to be here. Sure, the Avengers were nice to him for now, but he didn't want to stay. He didn't want to be "worthy" of some throne on Asguard, and he didn't want to be trapped in a world new to the hero business.

He missed the dark, looming skyscrapers of Gotham that made his blood pump with adrenaline. He missed his new team hanging out in the Cave and going out on missions that never stayed covert. He missed the terrifying vigilante that became his second father and the old butler with enough sass to verbally kill a man. In short, he missed home.

"How're you doing back there, kid?" Steve asked, more like shouted over the wind. Robin shrugged noncommittally.

"As whelmed as I can be right now, I guess."

Steve nodded, thinking that the boy was still getting over the shock of wielding Mjolnir. And while he couldn't be further from the truth, the little bird didn't bother to correct him.

"What do you want to do when we get back to the tower?"

Steve furrowed his eyebrows when he didn't hear a response, but after taking a quick glance behind him, he learned why. Robin had fallen asleep, even though his grip remained firm around the soldier's middle.

Guess the little guy is more tuckered out than I thought. Just how much did Thor's hammer take out of him? Steve pondered.

The rest of the drive was quiet, with only minimal chatter over the coms. Tony had figured out that Robin had once again hacked their communication system, and Steve grimaced at the thought of what the boy might have heard. They had made pretty clear between them that they didn't approve of his vigilante work. But what in the world would cause a child to pick up the mantle of a hero?

One Day Earlier

Robin shielded his eyes from the blast of Penguin's exploding...penguins. Seriously, the guy wasn't that original when it came to evil weapon designs. A piece of shrapnel pierced the teen's side, but the adrenaline pumping through his veins and sheer amount of bat-will and spite numbed the pain. With a flick of his wrist, Robin nullified two other explosive birds with an EMP bird-a-rang. He had to hurry. Penguin was the least of his worries tonight.

He had received an alert that several of the higher-tiered villains were teaming up, and he knew that Penguin was just a distraction. Even so, the bird obsessed criminal was causing danger to innocent lives, and he couldn't let that slip by.

Robin was so focused on accomplishing his task that he didn't notice the team's arrival. He had already detained Penguin and called the police to pick him up. The ebony vigilante didn't notice his friends gaping at him as he grappled out of the jewelry district towards the old shipping yards. The only thing he was focused on was taking out the next crook. Beat the next bad guy. Send them to Arkham. Hear that they escaped again. And put them into Arkham again.

The boy was a shadow flitting across the rooftops, and the team was struggling to keep up. But how had he not seen them yet? They weren't exactly the most subtle hero group.

"Hey, Rob, wait up!" Kid Flash called, and Robin tripped in surprise. That was cause for concern. Robin was grace incarnate. He simply did not trip.

"KF?" he asked hazily before his eyes met the rest of the team, "What are you guys doing here?!"

It was safe to say that they were not prepared for Robin's outburst. He made it sound like they were intruding.

"We just came to help," M'gann explained gently, trying keep everyone's emotions calm.

Robin glared, "I don't need your help. You guys need to go. I have a job to do."

"And I thought I was the moody one," Superboy snorted.

"Shut up," Robin snapped, shocking everyone, "Metas aren't welcome in Gotham. Hero or not, the city will want your skins on a wall if they see you, and Batman would have my hide if he found out I let you come. It's for your own safety. Now get out."

Kaldur tried to reason with the teen, "But Robin, you cannot hope to bring order back to this city on your own."

"I can, and I will," the teen batglared. Something beeped on his hologlove, and Robin turned, shielding his body with his black cape, "I have to go. If you're smart, you won't stick around."

The team stood dumbfounded as their youngest disappeared into the shadows, the only sign of their little bird's former presence were the small droplets of blood he left behind.

"We're going after him, aren't we?"

"I'm not a meta," Artemis smirked, notching her bow. Kid Flash smirked.

"And I can't let a pretty lady like you go chasing bad guys by yourself."

"If he's going, I'm going," Connor added.

"Well, I don't want you guys getting hurt. Maybe I can keep you all camouflaged, so no one would see?" M'gann offered, catching on quickly. All eyes turned to the Atlantean.

"I cannot be a team leader without a team, now can I?"he smirked, arms crossed over his chest, "Let's go help Robin."