I do not own Teen Titans or Batman. I've had this idea for a little while now but I only just found the motivation to actually sit down and right it out tonight; and I did just that! I wrote the whole one-shot from start to finish and am so glad I did. Thanks for reading!

Sometimes they forgot.

– Beast Boy –

Sometimes Beast Boy forgot that Robin was a kid, just like him. BB had always admired Robin – how could he not? The first sidekick on the scene? The protégé of the legendary Batman, who was the Dark Knight of one of the scariest, harshest cities in the United States? The youngest hero who scared Gotham's big, bad, and ugly?! Beast Boy wanted to grow into his superhero identity to be as courageous and brave as the Boy Wonder.

When Beast Boy first met Robin as a teenager, the older teen had seemed so confident; so sure of himself. BB had even defaulted to calling him "sir" upon first addressing the older teen. Robin was a natural leader who, despite his quick temper, was always someone BB knew he could go to for advice. He knew he could learn so much about being a hero even though Robin didn't have any superpowers. He knew Robin would always have his back, and embarrassing as it was, Beast Boy also knew that Robin would protect and save him if he ever really needed the help; just like the adult heroes always did.

Even though the Titans grew older each year, Beast Boy was still the youngest member of their team and thus, he was still trying to figure out the image for himself of what he wanted to become as an adult. Mento was strong and a good, stern father figure for him to rely on, but there were also characteristics of his former mentor that BB didn't aspire to take on for himself. Other than Cyborg, Robin was the only guy on the team for Beast Boy to observe and learn from on how to become a young man.

Robin also always talked with the adult professionals they crossed paths with during their hero work. If police were present at a scene, it was Robin who approached them and who was approached by them. He spoke to them with respect that was reciprocated, and he did all the paperwork BB didn't even know was required of a hero. When approached by an adult of the general public, Robin always sounded so respectful without sounding submissive; he was the authority and knew how to keep everyone calm even when chaos was erupting all around them. And though few and far between, there have been adult superheroes the Titans have worked alongside and assisted, and it seemed that Robin was respected not just because he was the second half of the Dynamic Duo, but because he also had skills and talents unique to him that was worthy of consideration to those who had been in the game longer than any of them had been alive.

But once in a while Beast Boy was reminded that Robin wasn't an adult.

He was reminded that Robin really was just a kid running around in ballistic tights playing a dangerous game after Slade – or technically Robin – almost killed Robin with that dust drama. Robin had been beaten up so badly; his small frame hung limply in Starfire's arms as an image Beast Boy would not soon forget. He was reminded that Robin was just a kid when he stuttered in his flirting with the Tamaranean princess, his cheeks burning as bright a red as his uniform. BB was reminded that Robin was just a kid who laughed at stupid jokes, ate pizza with his friends, got scared during horror movie nights, and lost his fair share of video games in some of BB's favorite memories while living in Titans Tower.

Robin was just a kid; a kid who could take off the mask and disappear if he ever decided to one day. Unlike Beast Boy, a metahuman – a green metahuman – Robin had more of a choice in this hero business. Robin chose to put his life on the line both for the people he protected with the mask and the people who he would never know. Instead of living up his "glory days" in high school or on a sports team or with the girls BB knew would fawn over him with or without the cape, Robin chose to work long nights on frustrating cases in service to the people of their city. Instead of complaining how the world wasn't fair, Robin chose to do what he could to make the world a better place; to be part of the solution.

Robin wasn't an adult, but that only made him more admirable and more brave in Beast Boy's eyes.

– Cyborg –

Sometimes Cyborg forgot that Robin was only human. The way Robin truly seemed to fly like a bird across the skies. The way he disappeared into the shadows of the night without a sound, so much so that even with his night vision Cy couldn't always keep up and find the bird. The way his spiky haired and skinny self fought evil villains three, four, five times his size and strength and always came out victorious. It wasn't just luck that kept their bird boy alive; it was skill and talent and something that could only be described as "wonder;" the Boy Wonder.

The kid was so smart. Cyborg had only just graduated high school, having been close at the time of his accident and allowing himself to take it slow as he began his hero career. But Robin? Robin had been his tutor for a lot of those courses; he soaked up knowledge like a sponge and could reframe any question Cyborg threw at him, and yet Cy knew Robin didn't have any enhanced brain powers or super intelligence. Robin learned just the same as Cy, but Cyborg had a data file he could stow away information. Robin just remembered; he just knew.

When Cyborg first teamed up with the kid, he had known of Robin and his heroics in Gotham. He had known of the kid who laughed in the face of grisly criminals who would think nothing twice of shooting and murdering a child on their selfish quest for more power and more wealth. He had heard of death defying fights and victories won at the last possible second, and that led Cyborg to question if the birds were simply hiding their powers? Cyborg had been fully human once and he knew of the limitations; how couldn't there be something more involved than the fantastic feats of training and drive?

But Cyborg was reminded often enough that Robin was only human.

Cyborg was reminded that Robin was only human when he had to scan his friend's bruised and bloody body for broken bones after fighting with some of Jump City's more vicious villains. Cyborg was reminded that Robin was human when the little twerp worked himself to exhaustion and was forced onto bed rest for a full week following any exploits into space; a feat astronauts trained years to endure. He was reminded that Robin was human any time he was forced off trajectory from a jump or his grappling hook was compromised and he called for assistance from any team member available to fly out and catch him. It didn't happen often and usually Robin saved himself, but the shocking reminder that Robin could easily be seriously injured just from a fall served as a jolt to Cyborg's system.

Robin being human was also how the team was able to keep the people of their city patient; the citizens could more easily relate to Rob and they were more willing to trust the new teens in town as they made mistakes and grew into the team they were today. Robin helped remind Cyborg that he, too, was still partly human and that his humanness wasn't his weakness. No, Cyborg could draw strength from what made him human and was, in fact, how he was able to defeat Brother Blood at the HIVE Academy.

Robin being human meant his oath for justice and willingness to sacrifice himself as a hero was that much more powerful, because he truly was risking his life with every crime alert that echoed the halls of Titans Tower. Unlike Cyborg, who could take a day to write and download an upgrade for his system to help him fight stronger against the next villain, Robin had to put in some serious dedication and endure real pain to grow his muscles and skill set, especially as a team leader. Robin was only a human, but that didn't mean he was less extraordinary than any of the Titans with powers – nor any of the metahumans and superheroes in general.

To Cyborg, Robin being 100 percent human was what made him such a dynamic wonder of the world.

– Raven –

Sometimes Raven forgot that Robin wasn't a pessimist. He wasn't someone who looked at the world around him and only saw the hurt and pain that people inflicted on one another. He wasn't someone who gave in to the hopelessness of the nature of heroics – that being that there would always be a new villain to rise up to challenge the heroes and test the public's trust in their abilities to protect anyone and everyone. Robin was slightly paranoid and always prepared for the worst, and always too hard on himself but never was he a cynic without hope.

Raven knew from the time she spent in his mind that Robin had seen grotesque and unspeakable crimes. He had been vilified by the very same people who idolized him, depending on the politics of the nation at the time. He had lost battles he could have won, and chose to lose battles he could have won only by defying his moral code. Robin had lost loved ones and been hurt by the loved ones he found.

And yet, Robin truly was an optimist.

Robin was an optimist because he saw the world and its people at its very worst but chose to see also the beauty and kindness the world could offer. He chose to believe there was good in every person and extended a helping hand to anyone in need of a second chance. He was hard on himself because he believed in himself; he knew he would become a better person and a better hero and wasn't willing to give up on himself. He was always ready to learn from the team he led, and he was working on forgiving himself for the mistakes he made.

Raven was always awed in his ability to hope, even when it all seemed hopeless – even at the literal end of the world brought on by the prophecy and her father, Trigon. Raven was mystified at the way Robin had shared her story, her life through his eyes with her young self after opening the portal with confidence in her ability to save their friends and herself. Robin never gave up on her, and he proved so over and over again with his words and his actions.

Robin's optimism was what created their friendship in the first place: his willingness to respect her request for space but also believing she would come to him when she had thoughts to share; unafraid of the darkness that surrounded her. Robin's optimism was what allowed him to see a future that was better, where heroes may not be needed not because they might inspire villains to challenge their power, but because they might inspire people not to allow their moments of pessimism to overwhelm them and lose hope. Robin's optimism is what made his hope so powerful and inviting that even she found herself looking towards the future the day after her 16th birthday with a small smile.

Raven was truly grateful that although Robin could engage with her pessimism, he himself chose to be optimistic and never gave up hope that she could choose optimism one day too.

– Starfire –

Sometimes Starfire forgot that Robin was more than just Robin. That he had lived a whole life before they had met, and kept a whole half of himself hidden from his friends. Starfire forgot that humans were not born into service for their world, but rather that Robin fighting against evil before he had fully grown was unusual and even frowned upon on this planet. He was not trained as a warrior nor born to be a leader; he just naturally fought for good and yearned to help those young heroes who needed guidance. Guidance in many different ways and with many different expectations.

Robin was an incredible fighter. When she had the chance she admired his abilities to take down an enemy as if it were one elaborate dance. Robin was a remarkable leader. Though she herself had given up the throne of her people for fear that she was not ready yet, Robin never shied away from making a hard decision and doing the best he could in the role he had not asked for. Robin was also her dearest friend – her first friend on Earth. Though he could have easily given her back to the Citadel after causing harm and panic to the people of Earth upon her arrival, and especially after being threatened by her immediately upon meeting, Robin chose to give her the benefit of doubt and trusted her when she had asked for help. Robin was her best friend.

Did it bother her that her best friend never shared much about his past? Never shared stories about his training under the Batman? Never shared the stories of victory around the campfires with her and their friends? Did it irritate her that she didn't actually know the face – the full face – of the boy she was falling for? That he never spoke of a family or friends previous to them? That he did not trust, in the privacy of their own home, to peel back the cloth which hid his eyes from view?

No.

Starfire did not let it bother her because she trusted Robin for who he was now: a hero who did everything in his power to fight evil whenever it bared its ugly head. She did not let the irritation fester inside her because she loved her friend for who he shared himself to be: a hero who did everything in his power to protect those he cared for. Should Robin ever feel the desire to share these things with her, Starfire would listen and listen enthusiastically, but she would not hold time against him. There were many lessons Starfire learned on Earth, and the lesson of time was always what was learned when one sought out trust.

Yes, Robin had a life before she met him, but so had she. Yes, Robin had secrets but he kept them because he was keeping others that he cared for safe. Robin may be the leader of their team, but he was deserving of privacy too. Robin was her best friend, but she was also his and he was deserving of her trust. Robin may be the young man she was falling in love with, and it was his heart that she was falling for.

It mattered not that Robin wasn't always and only Robin, the leader of the Teen Titans, but no one was always and only one side of themselves. Beings of all races, human and alien, were constantly growing and changing. For Starfire, it was beautiful that she was able to do this with Robin; alongside Robin; because of Robin.

Robin was so much more than what meets the eye, and Starfire wouldn't have it any other way.

– Robin –

Sometimes Robin forgot that he didn't have to do everything alone.

Yes, he had a team and was in fact the leader and face of the Teen Titans. He worked hard to develop each team member into a stronger, more confident hero. He relied on the intricacies of their strengths and relationships when forming plans of attack against their enemies. He trusted that his friends would always have his back.

But he was raised as a hero by an obsessive, lone hero and those habits die hard. He felt he needed to prove himself; prove himself to the world, to the villains, and to Batman that he didn't need saving all the time and was more than capable of being the one doing the saving. He took all the gory, nightmarish cases handed down by the JCPD into his personal evidence room so the team would not need to deal with murders that humans inflicted on one another without aid of superpowers. He made the phone calls to loved ones lost by the hands of a criminal brought to justice only after the fact, so his friends would not need to learn to cope with the sounds of anguished tears just yet. He took lead of the team because he had the detective skills and the tactical know-how of what was needed for them to succeed while, in the meantime, they grew into a better understanding of their roles as heroes and as each others' friends.

But then there were times when Robin was reminded that he wasn't alone, and he didn't need to be alone.

Robin was reminded that he wasn't alone in navigating the strange, embarrassing trials of puberty when Beast Boy came knocking, asking about an experience they both shared. Robin was reminded he wasn't alone in learning technologies far beyond the scope of Batman's interest when Cyborg offered to share his own programs and resources that helped him teach himself. Robin was reminded he didn't need to be alone when he was looking for quiet because Raven was always welcoming in sharing silence meant to help with focus and concentration – she for meditation and he for solving cold cases. Robin knew he didn't want to be alone when being with Starfire, his best friend, gave him such feelings of contentment that he hadn't felt since he had swung freely on the trapeze with his parents cheering him on from the air besides him.

Robin reflected on the lonely nights Bruce spent in the Batcave back before Robin could join him; before Robin existed. Even at his young age Dick could tell that the man wasn't just exhausted from staying up all night; there was something more that Bruce had been missing other than sleep. Some members of the Justice League had even shared how they believed Batman became a better detective and a better hero to all only after taking on a sidekick to train and mentor. Robin had been skeptical but willing to believe what he was told had some truth to it. Now he knew.

He knew that the strength that came from doing things alone was temporary. Real strength came from letting others in and asking for help when it was needed. Being stubborn only made their line of work riskier than it already was, and though it often made for a cool story it wasn't guaranteed you would make it through to tell the tale. Robin also knew the pain of loss could never be healed by being alone, or at least not forever. Loneliness only served to amplify the reminder of loss. Letting others in allowed you to remember the lives that had not been lost, and thus keep the life of those who were loved alive through memories.

Robin used to think he had to do it all alone; that he had to be a solo hero because he had something to prove. But prove what? Prove that he could save the world? He did, with the help of his friends. Prove that he was a worthy foe? He did, defeating Slade – Deathstroke the Terminator – because he would not give up on those he loved and who counted on him to hold out. Prove to Batman that he could handle the mantle? Take on his legacy if the day ever came that the Dark Knight retired, or – God forbid – fall? No, he never had to prove his worthiness to Batman, and as Robin grew older he began to understand that Batman didn't want that either.

Batman didn't want Robin to become a recluse. That's why Robin was brought along to JLA meetings even when the other members did not approve of his training. Batman believed it pertinent that his partner (when appropriate since even the Boy Wonder had to admit he took on the cape pretty early in boyhood) be seen and heard as if it were the Dark Knight speaking himself. Batman didn't want Robin to be burdened with the knowledge that there was no one else he could call, as had been his downfall upon capture and imprisonment to Ra's al Ghul. Batman didn't want Robin to become…Batman.

He wanted Robin to become his own man.

Sometimes Robin forgot he didn't have to do it all alone. Though he was grateful for his little family he had found and made on the West Coast, and he was proud of the hero he was becoming, Robin made sure not to forget that he was not the only one who didn't need to be alone. So upon returning from their adventure in Japan, untangling his fingers from Star's with anticipation for when he would reconnect, Robin found himself taking out his communicator. Not his yellow Titans one, but a rather sleek and black communicator from another pocket in his utility belt. He had a phone call he had to make, and one that was long overdue.

He had to remind Batman that so long as Robin was around, he was never truly alone either.

Fin.