Chapter 4: City Meets Country
Robin's POV
Even though Metropolis is straight out of a dream, it's still not Gotham.
I keep coming back to the grimy city, covered in smoke, ash, and soot. The buildings are crumbling down, the sky never breaks through the dreary clouds, and the lively community shows its character every night. In some strange way, it's nice. It's pleasing to me. My dad on the other hand wants it to fall. I bet if he could, we would have moved out years ago. Too bad his company is way too popular and demanding.
I grab my banged up camera and step out onto the high balcony. It was a sunny Saturday morning, with the light bouncing off of the natural wildlife. I'm starting to think everyday in Metropolis is like you're stuck inside a dystopian utopia. Always nice out, not a lot of crime, good people, and great community. It's nothing like Gotham. I'm starting to see where the goth in Gotham comes from.
There was a spot that caught my attention though, it was this statue across the street. It was of two men, holding up each other and supposably the world around them. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I wanted to know more. I should go look at it when I get the chance. For now, it will forever live on film.
"Tim!" My dad called from outside my door. "Are you awake?"
I quickly hide my camera behind my desk. "Yeah, you can come in."
He enters with a huge grin plastered on his face. I don't think I've ever seen him smile this much in my entire life. The only thing that comes close is accepting that 5 million dollar grant from Bruce.
"How did you sleep?" He questioned, still smiling.
"Fine." I shrug. "It's a nice room, I guess. I like the view."
"Isn't it great though?" He continues, almost like he's looping. "We're out of Gotham, breathing in the fresh air. There isn't any crime to bother us, a comfortable place to stay, and time for the both of us. When we were there, there was constant fear and worry. But now… we're safe. Together."
He gave him a weak smile. He isn't wrong. Metropolis seems a lot safer to live in than Gotham. But that doesn't mean I miss it. My friends, my other family, even the crime fighting. But I won't lie that my dad is happy to be here.
I wouldn't call my dad the man of the year. He wasn't really present when I was growing up, always at the office and everything. He's always in and out, barely paying attention to me. It led me to discover Bruce and his secret lifestyle in the first place. I had unlimited time on my hands and no one to entertain me. But I would never say my dad didn't care for me. When he did give me time, he would cherish it. Deep down, all he wants is to love me, since I'm the only family he has left.
"It's nice." I admit, scratching behind my head. "I'm still getting used to all this sunlight."
He wraps his arm around my side. "You know, Timbo? If this deal goes through, we may be staying here for a long time."
My heart saddens a bit.
"I guess it wouldn't be so bad." I lied. "Though I'd like to visit Gotham. All of my friends are there after all."
He doesn't respond to that. I already know what he's going to say. Thankfully, he kept quiet.
"Your tutor is coming to meet you today." He breaks the silence, shifting awkwardly. "I hope you like them. Otherwise we can get you another one."
"I'm sure it will be fine." I said. "I'm sure they're getting paid, right?"
"Y-Yeah!" my dad stuttered. I guess that answers my question.
The doorbell chimes loudly through the open space. Being a good host, I decided to get the door. I hope that whoever it is, they can leave soon.
I swing open the door….
"Hey." a young, tall, hot guy stands in front of the entrance. His wavy black hair spilled over into his face, interacting with his square, blue frames. He towers over me, covered in flannel and blue jeans. If I can gather anything, he wasn't like anyone from Gotham. He seems to be more… naturalistic? It wasn't urban, I can tell you that much.
I could feel my face getting hot and my throat becoming dry. I stare into his navy blue eyes, like I was swimming in a deep, mysterious lake. Something about him feels different than anyone he's met before.
"Um, hi?" His smooth voice breaks me out of my trance. "You good, man?"
"Yeah!" I shout, embarrassingly. "Sorry, come in."
He enters the penthouse and walks up to my dad, who was waiting in the living room. They probably talked about payment and whatnot, but I didn't hear a single word they said. I was too focused on him.
What was this feeling? I knew it was something, but I literally just met him. I don't even know his name! Being Robin has that drawback, since the number one rule of being Robin is never reveal your identity. Ever. Which means I stayed away from love. I thought a few people were cute, but I never admitted it to anyone. It's probably going to be the same thing with this guy, no matter how attractive he is.
"It was nice to meet you, boy!" My dad smiled, gripping the guy's hand. "What was your name again?"
"Conner." He said sheepishly. "Conner Kent. It's be a pleasure, Mr. Drake." He turns to leave, walking towards the door.
"Leaving so soon?" My dad raised his eyebrows. "Why don't you stay a bit longer? I bet Tim would love to get to know you a bit better."
My heart skipped a beat, pounding into my chest. Really dad? Stay? I'll have to talk to him then!
"I guess a couple more minutes couldn't hurt." He shrugged. "I'll text my dad."
As Conner tapped away on his phone, my dad nonchalantly left the room. He knew what he was doing.
"So," I started the conversation, adjusting my seating. "How's life?"
"It's fine," he said, staring at his phone. "Metropolis is ok. I wouldn't get too comfortable though since a world-ending bad guy crashes here every other week."
"Doesn't Superman handle it?" I question, trying to pry more information out of him.
"Yeah, and Superboy. It's probably nothing like where you're from, right?"
I bit my lip as I laughed. "You can say that."
"Have you ever…" He stopped himself, like he was going to offend me or something. "No, I shouldn't say that."
"It's ok." I admit. "Yeah. I've been involved in a situation or two. It's hard to find someone in Gotham who hasn't?"
"They came to save you, right?" He kept questioning. My bat sense is tingling.
I try to act oblivious. "Who? Batman?"
He nodded his head. "Yeah. And Robin too I assume."
"Robin wasn't there." I blurted out, without thinking. "It was just Batman."
"Oh." He looked away towards the carpeted floor. "I just thought they were always together. I wonder where he was."
Ok, now I'm starting to suspect something's going on. I don't want to jump to conclusions just yet, but something about Conner was off. Really off. All of these questions about Batman, and Gotham, and worst of all Robin. There is an extremely low chance that he knows I'm Robin, probably zero. But things were pretty strange with this guy. He was hired to tutor me (even though I don't really need it), now he wants to know information about Batman and Robin. I bet Luthor has something to do with this. But does he know my identity? I don't think Luthor knows Bruce's identity, let alone mine.
Whatever the case may be, I can't let this hot guy know any more.
"I don't know." I brush him off. "But it's no big deal. At least I'm alive."
The conversation quickly ended after that.
"Well," Conner broke the overdrawn silence. "My dad's here. I guess I'll see you next week, I guess."
I just wave goodbye as he walks quickly out the door.
I'm conflicted. Usually when I'm conflicted, it's about casework. Not some guy I met that day. Conner seems nice and willing to help me out, but those questions man. I wanted to interrogate that guy on the spot, but Tim Drake wouldn't do that. I probably could have gotten something out of him, but seeing how he was acting, it might have taken a while. Conner is here to stay, and I'm going to have to deal with it. But maybe Conner's "cover" may play into my favor. Or, I guess, Robin's favor.
I may not trust Conner Kent, but something tells me he's a big piece of this mysterious puzzle.
